Vroom-Jago Leader-Participation Model
- Who has the information: leaders or followers?
- Is acceptance critical for implementation: no or yes?
- Time pressure for decision making: high or low?
The former options favours authority decisions, the latter group decisions. Consultative decisions are in between the two extremes.
Vroom-Yetton-Jago Group Decision Styles
Autocratic/Authority Decisions:
- A-I: make the decision yourself based on information available to you
- A-II: obtain information from subordinates, but decide your self
Consultative Decisions:
- C-I: share problem with relevant subordinates individually, getting their information and suggestions. Make the decision your self
- C-II: share problem with subordinates as a group and collectively obtain their views. Make the decision your self
Collaborative/Group Decisions:
- G-II: share problem with group together, acting as facilitator: group generates and evaluates alternatives and chooses by consensus
Managing Group Decision Making
For managed teams, the manager clarifies the choice.
For self-leading teams, the team clarifies the decision making process: authority, majority, consensus, unanimity.
Delegation
Another option is delegation: share the problem with subordinate(s) and support their decision. The appropriateness of this depends on the nature of the task and skills of the subordinate(s).
Good delegation requires:
- Agree on a performance timetable
- Give performance feedback
- Recognize and reinforce progress
- Help when things go wrong
Four Quadrant Delegation
- Q1: I decide
- Q2: I ask for your input, then I decide
- Q3: I ask for your input, then we decide
- Q4: You decide, and I’ll support you
Leaders must be explicit in the choice of quadrant and follow through on their choice.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
- More knowledge and information available
- More alternatives can be considered
- Greater understanding and acceptance of decision
- Members develop skills
Disadvantages:
- Time consuming (and therefore more costly)
- Disagreements may cause delay and hard feelings
- Discussion may be dominated by a few members
- Group dynamics may cause members to overemphasize gaining consensus: groupthink can compromise decisions
- See the Challenger disaster: management overruled concerns after facing pressure from NASA to launch
- Analysis by Jeff Forrest
Irving Janis; symptoms of groupthink:
- Illusion of invulnerability
- Belief in group morality
- Rationalization
- Stereotyping
- Self-censorship
- Illusion of unanimity
- Mind guards; mental protections against seeing how bad things really are
- Pressure to agree
Avoiding groupthink:
- Promote an open climate
- Avoid isolation of the team
- Appoint critical evaluators
- Avoid being too directive/authoritative