Group Design Is Not a Team Sport
Unfortunately, decision makers and designers are not taught these basic decision-making terms. Worse, few authors explain which branch of decision-making they are referring to when offering advice.
For example, card games and sports are commonly referenced. However, a card game is a closed, zero sum game, with a common motivation. There is a finite number of action choices, with outcomes appearing immediately for a real-time learning loop. Similarly, sports teams create pre-defined plays so that players can coordinate their action with their teammates.
The Group Design of goals and actions is almost entirely opposite. They are an open, non-zero-sum games, with infinite potential actions. There is a delay before outcomes are measurable, by which time, any number of factors could have influenced the results.
I Choose, We Choose, I Design, We Design. If an author does not state it, you should determine it or risk hurting your decisions.
Most Unintendeds are Referenced in the Past Tense, After Causing Damage
Other than in the military, healthcare, and engineering, only a small number of specialist approaches explicitly examine negative consequences caused by a proposed action. We found no mainstream, general-purpose Group Decision-Making methodology that treats them as a distinct, mandatory category of decision input.
However, when asked before the first group meeting how they could trigger unintended negatives consequences, on average, group members express 13. Each can be enough to cause people to reject the proposed changes.
Become Comfortable Discussing Non-likemindedness
Being likeminded or non-likeminded is the technically correct label for whether a group all agrees with an opinion without being able to learn what each other thinks. It is also far more discussible than alignment and misalignment, which are dangerous words in groups.
Though likeminded and non-likeminded are not the easiest words to use, most people immediately understand their meaning and they are safe to use. It is their right to be non-likeminded and so rarely feel judged negatively. Use opens up productive dialogue where misalignment closes it down.
Research note — to be added.
Universal Frames
Over time, frames have been developed and adopted for specific situations. Examples include SWOT, Porter's Five Forces, ADKAR. Where available, they bring understanding to the specific situations for which they are designed.
Collaborative Design
The single most consequential task in group decision making is the reconciliation of non-aligned opinions, those where some agree with an opinion and others do not. The task needs to convert the non-likeminded group into a group aligned around one declaration - an assumption, a goal, etc. However, no standard, validated, reliable technique has existed for doing so.
Decision Lifecycle Management
Generally, goals and actions are viewed in two stages - identify then implement them. In truth, decisions follow a lifecycle from Signal through Response and Impact to Insight.
