Four ways a group or team can make decisions

To accomplish its tasks with efficiency, a group ought to agree on how it makes decisions. A facilitator can explain that there are four processes to reach a decision. Consensus is one, where everyone agrees that they can accept the final decision. Another is consultative, where a decision-maker excepts input and advice and then makes the call.

A third is the executive decision mode where the top-ranking person decides. The fourth is voting, whether by majority or a higher percentage, to reach a conclusion. These four ways to decide come from David Sibbet, Best Practices for Facilitation (Grove 2007) at 99 (See my post of Feb. 16, 2008: decisions with 42 references; July 28, 2008: values and decisions; and May 18, 2008: data-based decisions; June 11, 2008 #2: drugs that sharpen decision-making; Sept. 9, 2008: information economics and decisions; Oct. 22, 2008: cost-benefit analysis *5; and Nov. 23, 2008: RACI analysis.).