Leadership decision-making is highly valued. When surveyed – whether the public responding to political leadership or employees assessing organizational leaders, decisive behavior is highly regarded. Indecision is viewed unfavourably; the Obama administration has been criticized for delayed decisions such as approving the Keystone oil pipeline and healthcare changes.

How do you most commonly make your best leadership decisions? Do you follow your instinct and experience? Turn to trusted advisors? Involve your management team?

Effective decision-making can be as simple as following Vroom-Yetton-Jago’s 40 year-old model. When leaders used this model, they reported “successful decisions” over 80 percent of the time.

The model identifies five different approaches for making your decision:

• AI – the leader acts alone. In this case the leader makes his/her own decision using information that is readily available at the time.  This may be particularly appropriate when the decision is highly confidential.
• AII – the leader makes the decision alone after seeking input from others without sharing why he or she requires the information.
• CI – the leader acts in independent consultation, i.e. one on one, with others, often direct reports and then makes the decision, e.g. “Here is an issue I am facing. I would like your ideas on how to solve this as input into my final decision.”
• CII – the leader convenes a group, seeks their input and ideas and may or may not adopt their recommendations in making a final decision.
• GII – the leader convenes a group, seeks ideas and input, e.g. through brainstorming or focus groups, holds their own opinion at bay, and accepts whatever the group recommends as a decision.

As you progress from AI to GII, the level of employee or stakeholder commitment to and support for the leader’s decision increases.

You may find it useful to first utilize their questions for the decision at hand and then determine your approach.

1. Is there a quality requirement? Is the nature of the solution critical? Are there technical or rational grounds for selecting among possible solutions?
2. Do I have sufficient information to make a high quality decision?
3. Is the problem structured? Are the alternative courses of action and methods for their evaluation known?
4. Is acceptance of the decision by subordinates critical to its implementation?
5. If I were to make the decision by myself, is it reasonably certain that it would be accepted by my subordinates?

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