"None of us is as smart as all of us."
~ Ken Blanchard
Greetings!
I find "crowdsourcing" and "the wisdom of the crowd" to be very intriguing and applicable concepts, especially given my work with leadership teams. In this recent HBR article , I learned from their research that in order for the wisdom of the crowds to work, "every member of the group must be given an equal voice, without any one person dominating" .

As the researchers point out, to make better decisions, "leaders can encourage people to communicate and share information in order to ensure the crowd arrives at the best solution."

This made me think of sessions I have facilitated in the past where it was critical to have every team member’s best input in order for us to ensure the most effective decision... especially when the stakes were high. Read on to learn the proven, easy-to-use process I have facilitated on many occasions in order to achieve that important end result.
Kimberly Douglas’ “Wisdom of the Crowd” Team Decision-Making Process
 
Preparation:
  • Ideally, arrange for someone other than the leader to facilitate this process – i.e. someone who doesn’t have a vested interest in the outcome.
  • Be clear on the decision to be made – and capture it in a problem statement.
  • Prepare participants to bring their best thinking and ideas by sending out the problem statement and foundational, unbiased information at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.
  • Note: If you will have more than 8 participants, decide in advance cross-functional sub-groups of 4-5 each, with no direct reports in the same groups.

In the Meeting:
  1. Restate and visibly post the question to be answered.
  2. Allow everyone about 2 minutes to individually capture their point of view (which should have been part of their pre-thinking work).
  3. Ask them to take turns sharing their point of view (uninterrupted), while others actively listen and capture common themes and points of difference. Allow clarifying questions only (e.g. I didn’t hear what you said; what does that acronym mean?). The leader always goes last.
  4. After everyone has shared, ask for and flip chart the common themes they heard. Then ask for and flip chart the points of difference.
  5. Spend the remaining time in creative problem-solving mode, taking a curious, “both/and” mindset (instead of a judgmental, “either/or” mindset)
  6. End the discussion with clear next steps – Who will do What by When to take action on what was agreed upon and what needs additional research.
  7. A follow-up meeting to reach a final decision may be needed – and you can use the same process outlined above all over again.

Obviously, this process is best used for critical decisions that need everyone’s input in order to ensure the best thinking is capitalized on – and the greatest buy-in achieved. If you want to know other decision-making processes – and when to use each one – click here for a one-page handout on the Vroom-Yetton Decision Making Model – hard to say, but oh so helpful!
Teams need to build strong, collaborative relationships in preparation for making those high-stakes decisions. To accomplish this goal, many teams are looking for something more unique and inclusive than a golf outing.

With the Atlanta weather beginning to turn a little cooler with the approach of fall, what better way to "do team building" than a sailing adventure aboard 30-foot yachts on Lake Lanier!

Kimberly Douglas customizes your session to meet your team's unique needs. This can include:
  • Reaching agreement on how a high performance team functions. 
  • Strategic planning for the coming year.
  • Identifying our most critical gaps.
  • Action planning to close those gaps.
  • After lunch, the sailing adventure begins!

Not able to take the whole team offsite? Then let Kimberly bring the adventure to you with the highly engaging, very interactive, and cost-effective "Jungle Escape"!
Let Kimberly Douglas put her 20+ years of team effectiveness expertise to work for you and your organization.
Kimberly Douglas, FireFly Facilitation Inc. CEO, has an 88% repeat and referral business. She has collaborated with hundreds of leaders at organizations such as Coca-Cola, Home Depot, the CDC, Cox, AT&T and even the U.S. Marine Corps – to dramatically improve their business performance.

She holds a Master’s in industrial/organizational psychology, as well as multiple certifications, including SHRM-Senior Certified Professional and IAF Certified Professional Facilitator. She was honored with the SHRM-Atlanta Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to the Chapter and the HR profession.

Prior to founding FireFly over twenty years ago, Kimberly was an organization effectiveness leader for Coca-Cola and the Director of Consulting for the Hay Group. She also served in HR leadership roles in the hospitality, telecommunications and healthcare industries. 

Want to learn more about how to ensure effective decision-making on your team? Click the link below for Chapter 12 from her book, The Firefly Effect (Wiley) or visit her team effectiveness blog by clicking here .
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