Decision Making Methods

Some decisions are so routine that we make them without much thought, but difficult or challenging decisions demand more consideration due to uncertainty, complexity, consequences, alternatives, or even interpersonal issues.

The good news is that there are several decision-making methods that you can use depending on the dynamics and considerations you need to make. Some situations benefit from analytical decision-making that considers everyone’s opinions, while other circumstances require a quick approach that doesn’t allow for negotiation.

Here are the 5 decision making methods –

Command Decision-Making

This is the method you use if you need to make a decisive choice without input from others. This is often the quickest and most direct route to a decision outcome. This approach is best used when you’re responding to a time-sensitive issue or working in a fast-paced environment where daily decisions must happen on the spot.

Collaborative Decision-Making

Collaborative decision-making uses groups or teams to arrive at a decision. This method works best when you have a diverse group of employees with multiple perspectives to the decision dilemma. With this approach, you gather suggestions, evaluate options and reach informed conclusions you may not have come to on your own.

Consensus-Based Decision-Making

Consensus requires that all participants agree on a single option before moving forward. The key to this approach is that you only settle on a choice everyone agrees on. This method is most effective in building strong teams as it promotes a sense of unity. However, this is often a slower approach, so it’s best when you have more time to decide.

Vote Decision-Making

This method is best suited to situations where efficiency is the highest value – and you’re selecting from a number of good options. Members of the team realize they may not get their first choice, but frankly they don’t want to waste time talking the issue to death. Everyone who takes part in a vote assumes the responsibility of the decision equally, further reducing your risk of a bad decision.

Delegation Decision-Making

This method is essentially when you assign responsibility for the decision to others. This method is best when those you assign it to are experts, or have some familiarity or experience in the decision dilemma. As such, it is also best used for issues that don’t require a lot of evaluation and debate.

On average, adults make roughly 35,000 decisions per day. Most of those are done subconsciously, but for the handful of very important decisions you need to make, you can take comfort that five methods are available at your disposal. Use them at the right moment and context to make effective decisions.