Decision Making in Teams

Decision Making in Engineering Teams

In Engineering World, group decision making introduce a unique challenge and opportunities

When working within a team, the goal is to achieve a perfect solution that leverages the collective knowledge, experience, and perspectives of its members. However, this process can be fraught with challenges due to our biases and differing viewpoints.

Basic patterns of decision-making:

• Dominance-Based Decision Making: In this scenario, discussions often devolve into power struggles or debates, where individuals compete to impose their own ideas or viewpoints. This can lead to a situation where one or more team members feel disengaged after a certain point. As a leader, it is crucial to intervene proactively and escalate such discussions before they reach a point of no return, this negatively impact team dynamics, trust, and ownership.

• Collaborative Decision Making: This approach involves a more balanced and inclusive process where team members actively participate in evaluating alternatives and making informed decisions. A key aspect of this approach is considering the potential costs and benefits associated with each decision. While it may be necessary to disagree with a particular decision due to lack of information or personal experience, it is essential to commit to the final outcome in order to minimize future risks. this is the trait of leaders and the best engineers as they build the knowledge over the years to evaluate the cost of making the decision v/s cost of actual work.

It is important to recognize that not all decisions are reversible. Some of them have significant consequences that cannot be easily undone. Therefore, it is essential to carefully evaluate the potential implications of each one and prioritize those that have the greatest impact on the team's objectives.

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