How do you ensure inclusive team decision-making?

Inclusive team decision-making is a key skill for team facilitators who want to foster collaboration, creativity, and engagement among their team members. However, it can also be challenging to balance different opinions, perspectives, and preferences in a way that respects everyone's voice and contribution. How do you ensure inclusive team decision-making in your team facilitation practice? Here are some tips and strategies to help you.

1 Define the purpose and process

Before you start any team decision-making process, make sure you have a clear and shared understanding of the purpose and the process of the decision. Why is this decision important? What are the criteria and constraints? How will the decision be made and by whom? How will the decision be communicated and implemented? Clarifying these questions upfront can help you avoid confusion, conflict, and frustration later on.

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Lisa Moldau

Results driven facilitator - uncovering your team's existing superpowers - impactful workshops for teams working at pace
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Consider explicitly referring the team to Patrick Lencioni's model: 5 Dysfunctions of a Team. This model explains that Trust (in the group) is the foundation that must precede good team debate. The ability for a team to disagree and survive conflict comes from removing fears around conflict. Constructive discussions happen best in teams that have established the foundation of Trust: trust to speak up, trust to be listened to, trust to hold space for everyone's voice, trust to be respected. These are all qualities of inclusion in the workplace. More diverse inputs means more informed decisions. Lencioni's model goes on to say that commitment / buy-in is the next stage. Thus teams that practice inclusion have a head start.

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2 Use a variety of methods and tools

Depending on the type and complexity of the decision, you may want to use different methods and tools to facilitate the team decision-making process. For example, you can use brainstorming, voting, ranking, consensus, or dialogue techniques to generate, evaluate, and select ideas. You can also use online platforms, apps, or software to collect, organize, and visualize data and feedback. The key is to choose the methods and tools that best suit your team's needs, preferences, and context.

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3 Encourage participation and diversity

One of the main benefits of inclusive team decision-making is that it allows you to tap into the collective wisdom and creativity of your team. However, this also means that you need to create a safe and supportive environment where everyone feels comfortable and confident to share their opinions, insights, and experiences. You can do this by setting clear and respectful ground rules, asking open-ended and probing questions, acknowledging and appreciating contributions, and managing conflicts and disagreements constructively.

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Thang Ngo

I help people see value in diversity | Comms guy | Non-executive board member.
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Take into account cultural nuances to help encourage everyone to contribute. In some collective cultures, employees do not speak up, or tend to agree with the loudest voices to avoid conflict. Ensure these voices are heard by offering alternative ways for them to contribute such as one-on-one sessions or via written submission.

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4 Check for understanding and alignment

Throughout the team decision-making process, it is important to check for understanding and alignment among your team members. This can help you ensure that everyone is on the same page, that there are no gaps or misunderstandings, and that there is a high level of commitment and buy-in to the decision. You can do this by summarizing and paraphrasing key points, asking for feedback and confirmation, and testing assumptions and implications.

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5 Review and reflect

Finally, after you have made the decision, you should review and reflect on the team decision-making process and the outcome. This can help you learn from your successes and challenges, identify areas for improvement, and celebrate your achievements. You can do this by asking yourself and your team members questions such as: What worked well and what didn't? What did we learn and what can we do differently next time? How do we feel about the decision and its impact?

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you ensure inclusive team decision-making?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Define the purpose and process

2 Use a variety of methods and tools

3 Encourage participation and diversity

4 Check for understanding and alignment

5 Review and reflect

6 Here’s what else to consider

Team Facilitation

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How do you ensure inclusive team decision-making?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Define the purpose and process

2 Use a variety of methods and tools

3 Encourage participation and diversity

4 Check for understanding and alignment

5 Review and reflect

6 Here’s what else to consider

Team Facilitation

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