Collaborative groups frequently struggle with decision-making: we don’t want just one person calling all the shots, but trying to include everyone in every decision… well, it gets complicated.

Maybe you recognise some of the following issues when you make collaborative decisions in your team:

• Decision-making takes forever

• Watered down compromises lack commitment

• Ambiguity of who is responsible for the process, or the outcome

• Difficulty engaging everyone and including people in important decisions

• Implicit power dynamics or fractured trust undermining people’s participation

• People are shy to take initiative to avoid dominating the group

• Acting under urgency instead of taking the time to consider options thoroughly

The good news is, there’s a spectrum of decision-making methods that can help your team make decisions more collaboratively, more inclusive, but also more efficient.

Mature collaborative teams invest time in deciding how to decide: they have a decision protocol that defines what method to use for each kind of decision. Some decisions should certainly be made with a lot of consultation and input, some can be done with advice from the right people, but others are best delegated to an individual or a subgroup.

If you want to build the capacity for fast & inclusive decisions in your team, then this course is right for you.

Learning outcomes

• Understand the different collaborative decision-making methods (Consensus, Consent, Advice Process, and Mandates), and their pros & cons.

• Learn how and when to use each of these methods.

• Follow a step-by-step process to create a Decision Protocol tailored to your team.

• Pitfalls and practical tips to get unstuck when things get difficult.

What’s included

• Short video-lectures, with full transcripts

• Prompts for personal reflection

• Downloadable guides for processes & practices you can use in your team

• Action canvas to plan the improvements you will bring to your team’s decision-making