Development Cooperation Handbook/How do we manage the human resources of programmes and projects?/Decision Making in Groups

The nature of a team and the attitudes of its members are often shaped by the way decisions are made. Each team will have official and unofficial leaders. Other members will also have opinions. Numerous decisions will have to be made as the team works toward its goal. Each decision is a chance for the team to grow stronger—or fracture. In a “perfect” system, all team members would have a vote in every decision, and each “vote” would be unanimous. Everyone would agree on what had to be done. Perfection, however, is rare. As a rule, there are three ways to come to a decision. 1. Imposed. The official leader, or someone outside of the team, will decide what to do based on the team’s input. This can make team members feel unappreciated, that their input has been ignored, and that they have wasted their time, even those in favor of the final decision. 2. Voting. Team members feel that they do have a voice, even if they are outvoted. It is simple, quick, and does lead to a definite decision, but it can create division and a winner-loser mentality among team members. 3. Consensus. This is generally the most effective, but it can also be the most time consuming. It allows every member to be heard, all points of view to be discussed. It does not mean every member supports it 100 percent, but because of the process it does usually leads to a decision that every member of the team can support. Consensus does not mean unanimity. This is especially important if the team is going to continue working together to implement the decision. Tools Templates 20px Applicant employee evaluation form 20px Staff Activity Forecast and Report 20px Interpersonal skill assessment 20px Employee Performance Review – Peer Review 20px Performance appraisal forms 20px Checklist for Identifying Performance Problems 20px Applicant employee evaluation form 20px Staff Activity Forecast and Report 20px Interpersonal skill assessment 20px [[Development Cooperation Handbook/Templates/Employee Performance Review – Peer Review |]Employee Performance Review – Peer Review] Guidelines 20px Key Questions for Establishing the Team Organization 20px How to reach an agreement on the Employee Performance Objectives 20px How to manage motivated and effective teams 20px How to recognize if Team Building is successful 20px How to check the level of togetherness in a team 20px Measures to make teams more performing 20px The 5 steps of team creation 20px Checklist for Identifying Performance Problems 20px Why do organisations need to plan and manage their communication? 20px How team members can improve overall project communication 20px Measures to make teams more performing 20px Required characteristics of the project manager 20px The 10 Project Management Guiding Principles See also In other sections of this handbook 15px The relationship between "power" and "authority" 15px The employee empowering organization 15px Manage the Performance of Project Team Members 15px Team Conflict Management 15px Leading and Managing 15px Team Conflict Management 15px Project Managers and programme Managers 15px Determining the project manager