Decision sculpting: Stepping back to see the whole mosaic

21 Sep 2018 Tags: Soft skills

Sixth in a series on group decision-making, based on Ch. 10–11 of Making Meetings Work. The previous post suggested ways to learn the skill of decision crystallization.

Zooming from the mosaic to a few tiles …

The last four posts in this series have focused on Chapter 11 of Tropman’s book, describing how to guide a group to an effective decision. I began by defining the decision mosaic, the many small consitutents comprising a typical decision, called the decision elements. Of these elements, a few—often just one—set the context for most others. This element is called the determinative element. If there are several candidates for determinative element, simply pick one.

Focus the group on the determinative element until a discussion round has completed. Note the points made and how members support and critique the points.

At the end of the round, crystallize the decision. If the group agrees on the proposed choice, refocus the group on a new determinative element. If the group does not accept it, start a new discussion round focused on alternatives to previously-discussed choices.

… and back out to the mosaic as a whole

At some point, perhaps in this meeting or, in the case of a particularly complex decision, after several meetings, all decision elements will be decided. Now is the time to consider the decision as a whole. Tropman calls this final step of the decision process, decision sculpting.

Until now, the group has proceeded one element at a time, making a series of small choices. The sequence of these, working on the most consequential remaining choice as the determinative element, has helped ensure that the choices were mutually compatible. Yet this only ensures a rough compatibility.

Recall Tropman’s metaphor of a decision mosaic: an arrangement of small tiles that create a coherent image when seen as a whole. The group has spent its time ensuring that each piece is well-seated next to its immediate neighbours but they have not reviewed the resulting image. Now that all decision elements have been resolved, it is time to review the whole decision.

Ask the group to consider all their choices as a package. Seen together, are there small improvements or adjustments that would make them more harmonious? Are there any missing pieces? Depending upon the group and the decision, you may wish to let the proposal sit for a day or a week before reviewing it. Take the time to make the final package not just acceptable but brilliant.

You may be concerned that revisiting the decision will simply reignite old controversies. Although this can happen with decisions made using typical ad hoc, chaotic processes, decisions crafted using this process will be remarkably stable. Every choice was supported by several decision rules, each highlighting the needs of a different constituency. Even groups who did not get their preferred outcome will be comfortable with the final decision because their concerns were heard and validated during the discussion.

Wrapping up and moving on

Once sculpting is complete, you have a decision. Congratulations! There will often be a genuine positivity in the group, an energy going forward to its implementation, even an excitement. It’s a great feeling—and once a group has experienced it a few times, they will be eager to adopt processes that make it the likely outcome rather than the exception.

In my final post in this series, I will consider how consistent use of this process can transform an organization. I will also tease my next series on the topic of soft skills.