HBR Guide to Making Every Meeting Matter (HBR Guide Series)

by Harvard Business Review

Reach Group Decisions During Meetings Facilitating group decisions in meetings is rarely easy. The following suggestions for choosing the right decision-making method will help ensure that everyone leaves your meetings with clear decisions and next steps for implementing those decisions. You can use three common decision-making methods with groups: group consensus, majority vote, or leader’s choice. Each has its own benefits and challenges. Group Consensus Group consensus does not mean arguing and lobbying until everyone agrees. It means reaching a decision that everyone understands, supports, and is willing to help implement. Advantages: Allows all meeting participants to share their expertise in order to arrive at the best decision. Results in all participants understanding the decision and its implications. Greatly enhances the chance for buy-in from all parties. Disadvantages: Participants may not be familiar with this decision-making process: They may think that they all have to agree to and believe in the final outcome, so it may feel like people are spinning their wheels or heading in the wrong direction. May take more time than other decision-making approaches. May require that you have an alternative decision-making process (for example, leader’s choice) in case consensus cannot be reached within given time constraints. How do you know when you have a genuine consensus? You’ll hear comments such as “Option A isn’t my first choice, but I believe it incorporates eve...