Sometimes leaders can facilitate decisions by group concensus.
Decisions are the life blood of a company, and managers must make them every day. In 1973, leadership theorists Victor Vroom and Philip Yetton proposed the normative leadership model that focused on how a leader interacts with her subordinates. This theory explains how how a manager involves those under her in making the decisions that impact the workplace. The model also figures in time constraints, the quality of decisions and employee satisfaction.
Levels of Involvement
In the normative leadership model, there are five levels of subordinate involvement in the decision-making process. In the first autocratic level, the manager makes the decisions himself. With the second autocratic level, he might ask for advice, but makes the decision in the end. In the first level of the consultative section, the manager asks individuals in the group for their input, then makes a decision. Their opinion has more bearing on his decision in this level. The next level of the consultative section is to have a group meeting, and then the manager makes the decision. The final level is the one in which the group ultimately makes the decision.
Decision Quality
The manager has to assess how much she knows about an issue to determine which level of involvement to use in the decision-making process. If the manager does not know anything about the situation, then using the autocratic methods is not going to yield a very high quality decision. Likewise, if the group is not knowledgeable about the situation, bringing the decision to the group is not always the best course of action. A good manager has to know which level to use for the best quality decision.
Time
Time is something a manager needs to consider when trying to determine which level of involvement to use in making a decision. Group decisions usually take a long time, so a decision that must be made quickly is likely to be made by the manager. However, a manager can help this by asking some representative members of the group for their opinions before making the decision on her own.
Employee Satisfaction
Employee satisfaction is something a leader needs to think about when making a decision. Always choosing autocratic methods can make employees feel helpless. If a manager always chooses to make things a group decision, though, it can sap some of the her power away. A good balance is needed in order to maintain quick, beneficial decisions and happy, empowered employees.
