More on Collectives

Decision making in collectives is becoming increasingly common in business. The diversity of the collective makes any process difficult to enforce. A subset of the group can always escalate issues, often up to different executive authorities.

The challenges of the collective can be countered with several strategies:

• Make the collective aware of itself. This requires more than a CC: list. Generate a map that shows the different individuals or functions located in space. Color code them for their departmental link. Use a larger font for people higher up in the organization. Make people conscious of the dispersion and complexity of the decision making group.
• Capture an otherwise segmented debate. Smaller meetings and phone conferences often substitute for a coordinated and comprehensive "discussion" on a particular issue. Using a blog or some other kind of virtual meeting space can greatly facilitate the creation of a "single discussion".
• Address dilemmas first! Organizations often pursue equally valuable but contradictory goals. These are classic dilemmas. Pursuing quality and low cost. Wanting to be "first to market" with high quality. Hoping to secure the economies of scale and also customize to local markets or particular customers. Unfortunately such dilemmas are often split across departmental boundaries. So the Engineering department pushes for innovation while the Manufacturing department pushes for leveraging the investment in current technologies and machines. The Sales representative pushes for customization and quick turnaround, while the Engineering and Manufacturing department pull for standardization and manageable production schedules. Dilemmas can ripple through a collective and prevent any resolution other than a dissatisfying compromise. Dilemmas need to be acknowledged up front as the critical challenge, with a clear call for breakthrough solutions rather than begrudging accommodations.
• Define criteria for a solution first. If the different segments of the collective are pursuing different notions of an ideal solution, the debate over options will be protracted and contentious. If there are disagreements about what constitutes a "good choice", surface those differences early and thoroughly.
• Post a default decision. A powerful tool for creating convergence in a decision debate is to put forth a default decision, literally the decision that will be invoked by some deadline unless the collective comes up with a better choice. It keeps the debate around better alternatives rather than allowing it to wander.
• Use Delphi techniques when appropriate. The Delphi process is a simple mechanism for keep a group moving toward consensus rather than chasing down peripheral issues. The process is to solicit inputs from everyone individually and then publishing the list back to the group as a whole. People can quickly discern if there is an emerging consensus and whether their particular point of view has any support or not. The Delphi process can be used to define criteria, create a list of options, or take an informal poll on preferences.