The Smart Manager’s Guide To Remote Decision-Making

Tips to help organizations avoid falling into the trap of groupthink and achieve better outcomes

 

 
We’ve all been there: That meeting that feels like it’s happened before. The decision that keeps getting passed around like a hot potato. The reappearing agenda item that makes you want to scream.
 
But what if I told you this was natural? It’s a part of human nature.
 
According to applied psychologist Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D., we all have faulty wiring when it comes to decision-making.

Let’s take groupthink, for example. Every day, countless organizations across the globe, sitting in virtual Zoom rooms and physical conference rooms, come together for an intended purpose: making a decision. However, few of these groups are set up for success.
 
To demonstrate this issue, researchers Andreas Mojzisch and Stefan Schulz-Hardt set up an experiment: a group would be deciding on prospective job candidates. They found that individuals made far better decisions when they received candidate information first, before hearing the preferences of others in the group. When individuals learned the other group members’ preferences first, their decision-making suffered.
 
According to Weinschenk:
   
In a follow-up study, Mojzisch and Schulz-Hardt reached the same conclusion about face-to-face meetings. To make the best decision, individuals needed to share their unique information about job candidates before sharing their initial preferences.
 
While this is an interesting insight, it’s rarely put into practice. According to Weinschenk, 90% of group discussions start off on the wrong foot—discussing initial preferences rather than salient information to the decision.
 
How can you ensure your organization doesn’t fall into this pernicious trap? 

Review Information Asynchronously First 

Give people time to review and assess information on their own first. You may consider using polls, surveys, or other research methods to capture individuals’ thoughts and responses before any group discussions. This encourages everyone to come up with their own solutions regardless of their level of extroversion or influence over the group. 

Meet Only if Necessary (Especially for Remote Teams) 

Only meet if a live conversation is critical to getting buy-in on a decision. Focus the discussion on the supporting evidence, not the preferences of the group. 

Document All Other Options and Rationale 

Document the decision you’ve moved forward with and the ones you’ve decided to table. This creates an archive of your decision-making history so that colleagues can revisit the logic later on. 

Have an Experimental Mindset

Not all decisions need to be final. Try prototyping options if the way forward is unclear. Set a clear timeframe and success metrics to compare the options you’re testing. 

Send a Post-Mortem Summary 

Communicate the results of the decisions to the people affected and the wider team. Summaries can include a problem statement, the goal, criteria for the decision, alternatives suggested, experiment details (if any), results, and metrics to measure. If it’s a contentious decision or a highly sensitive topic, check in with your team members afterward. 

Tamara Sanderson is the Co-Founder, Co-Teacher, and Co-Author of Remote Works. Her mission is to liberate teams from the traditional nine-to-five approach to working and teach them how to do their best work anytime, anywhere. Her new book with co-author Ali Greene, Remote Works: Managing for Freedom, Flexibility, and Focus, is the ultimate playbook for managing remote teams.