The manner in which a team makes a decision says a great deal about the culture of the team. It is often a predictor of the effectiveness of the team. It is not unusual for the data collection process to indicate a high degree of dissatisfaction with the team’s decision-making process. Comments such as “there is a lack of member involvement in our team’s decisions,” or “the leader asks for our opinion but it seems as if he has already made up his mind,” or “we seem to revisit many of our decisions,” are common.

Research indicates that group decision-making results in decisions that are superior to individual decision-making, provided the group process is effective. And while there are several group decision methods, it is generally agreed that the consensus method is the best approach when the decision is important and requires a high level of member commitment.