Are you using the best techniques to make decisions?

We make hundreds of decisions every day. Some of them require little thought, while others need to be tackled more strategically in order to get the best result.

Before understanding the different factors that affect decisions, it’s important to know the four main decision making types, which include:

Authoritarian – Is made by a person who is in a legitimate position of power. The authority makes the choice based on the information that they have at their disposal.

Consultative – Is made by a person who is in a legitimate place of power, but seeks the opinions of others before rendering a decision.

Delegated – A choice made by a person in authority to assign control to another person.

Group – When two or more people follow a method that results in a mutually agreeable decision.

There are different factors that influence which decision making type you should use. It’s important to asses a situation and understand which of these factors exist in order to take the most effective approach.

Time – If time is of the essence, an authoritarian decision type is recommended.

Existence of expertise – If there is an individual who is a subject matter expert, the delegated decision type should be used.

Importance of decision quality – Generally speaking, group decisions tend to produce higher quality outcomes because they are more thought out, produce a greater selection of choices, and obtain group support. 

Support and participation – When a decision requires a great deal of support from multiple people, a group decision is highly recommended.

Lack of existing information – When there is a lack of expertise on a subject matter, using a group decision making process can be a beneficial way to gather and organize information necessary to make an informed choice.

By understanding the different types of decisions, and the factors that influence their use, your decision making will be much more efficient.