Framework: Decision making
Best for: Individual and group settings
When to use it: Apply the framework when aiming to streamline communication and involvement levels in your team, ensuring that each decision aligns with appropriate leadership engagement based on its urgency and impact.
Purpose: Effective decision-making is a crucial part of high-performing cultures and one of our go-to frameworks comes from an MIT Sloan article by Nancy Duarte. To address an issue her team faced around unclear decision-making processes, Nancy and her executive team developed a two-by-two matrix that categorises decisions based on urgency and stakes. The matrix includes four boxes that each corresponds to a specific level of involvement or communication with the leader.
How to:
Familiarise yourself with the framework categories: "Decide without me," "Inform on progress," "Propose for approval," and "Escalate immediately."
Ask your team members to add all of their decisions within their areas of responsibility onto the matrix. Help them identify and categorise the decisions they regularly come across.
Schedule 121s with your team to review their completed matrices and ensure alignment with the framework. Populate your own matrix based on these conversations.
Continuously evaluate and adjust the framework as needed, especially during quarterly or periodic meetings. Consider changes in business priorities, risks, or new areas that require your attention.
Maintain an open feedback loop with your team, allowing them to provide input on how well you adhere to the decision-making choices you've outlined. This feedback helps you improve your leadership approach.
💡 Top tips
Empower team members by providing guidelines for each matrix category, helping them make informed decisions and reducing the need for constant leader involvement.
Regularly revisit and refine the framework collaboratively with the team, fostering a sense of ownership and ensuring its ongoing relevance in the evolving business landscape.
Integrate the feedback loop not only for the leader but also among team members, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and ensuring the framework aligns with the collective goals and expectations of the team.
