Transparency is often applied to the development process as a means of boosting the engagement and morale of knowledge workers. But is this effective, when the team doesn’t know how decisions are made?
Is it clear how you come to decisions? Are you going on gut-feel or intuition? Or are you basing outcomes on trends and information from a good sample? Can your employees contribute feedback (ie; are they part of the data source you draw from)? Many of us do tend toward fact-based decision making. Even if it feels like a gut reaction, we have made observations and heard interesting tidbits that drive our guts in a specific direction. If those impacted by our decisions are not aware of how our minds operate, the decisions will seem random and will leave people feeling vulnerable to “flavours of the month”. The quality of decisions is especially important where disruptive transformations are involved. Transparency in the decision model and the tools used in the closed-door (or, preferably open door) meetings will provide others with a sense that there is reason and rational assessment involved. Consciously applying a decision model and evaluating the decision process may incline you to fix and adjust the process where there is a lack of substance.
Evaluation and continuous improvement is not merely something that needs to happen at the operational level of the organization. The quality and effectiveness of decisions should, over time, be enhanced. Experience is extremely valuable, but only if we learn from it. The sources we use for decisions will need to adjust to the inevitable changes in our global environment. How we capture data and transform it into information – and the timing of this activity – should be reviewed. We need to actively seek new and innovative ways to improve. This is how we become market leaders, rather than followers. Awe inspiring decision-making will differentiate you and your company from the norm. The respect and energy generated by openly creative and intelligent decision making (as long as the outcomes match the employees’ values… but I’ll leave that to another blog post) will attract top tier talent.
Strategic planning and corporate governance are not tasks that happen adhoc or scheduled twice a year. To be successful, this is a frequently reviewed, concerted effort. If your team is aware of the timing of planning exercises, they can feel more able to engage and add input. The more frequent the strategic planning exercise, the more we role model “continuous improvement”.
Decisions should have a standard and easily accessible venue for dissemination. The most effective communication will share both a knowledge of the impact of the decisions and an understanding of the drivers behind it (What are the reasons for doing it? What are the implications to the business if the change had not been initiated?). The drivers will be useful in any large change transformation, as it will generate a sense of urgency. People have an easier time changing their habits if they need to change. As part of the decision model, you should have a determined means of evaluating the success of the change. The measurement can be part of the communication for complete transparency in the process.
Finally, our promoted Vision should be supported by and should give guidance to our decisions. If this is not the case, perhaps the Vision and/ or Mission needs to be adjusted. The Vision must be effective and useful – it cannot be a high-level dream that doesn’t impact everyday operations. As technology opens new possibilities, and the industry or environment changes, the Vision must be maintained and adjusted, so it can drive the best decisions. When your entire team or organization is aligned toward the same end state, fabulous opportunities become reality.
Everyone in a team or organization makes decisions. As a leader, model good decision-making, demonstrate good techniques and reinforce their use. Decide to thrill your customers and employees.