The 4 Decision Styles

The 4 Decision Styles

There are four choices for how to involve others in decisions. Understanding your choices and knowing when to use them gets you farther, faster, easier, and with less headaches in the long run.

Independent: You obtain the information you need and make the decision on your own.
Consultative: You ask others for their ideas and opinions (either individually or as a team), but you make the decision.
Group: You bring the question to a group, and through a group discussion a decision is reached that everyone supports. You are a member of the group, and your voice is no more important than anyone else’s.
Delegating: You pass the authority for ensuring a good decision is made to an individual or a group. You are not involved in the decision-making process and agree to support whatever decision is made. Others are involved to a great extent.

The Pros and Cons of Each Decision Style

Independent
Pro: Takes less of your time.
Con: A greater risk of needing to spend time later fixing problems.
Consultative
Pro: Likely to get helpful information and viewpoints you have not considered.
Con: If the people you consult with are invested in their position, they might be upset if you go don’t take their advice. e.g. “You asked my opinion and then ignored it.”
Group
Pro: You make smarter decisions when more viewpoints are considered. And implementation goes faster and smoother because the decision is understood and supported by all. You might spend more time in the beginning, but you will make up for it by spending less time in implementation.
Con: Takes more of your time.
Delegating
Pro: Takes some time to set it up properly, but then takes very little of your time.
Con: You need to let go of control, so it’s important to have confidence in the person or team you are delegating to. Consider the Ten Tips for Effective Delegating.