Decision Making Methods

o Voting

§ Seeks Majority Rule

· Some members win, while other members loose. If the decision is won by 51% of voters, then the other 49% might not be happy about it.

§ Seeks Two-Thirds Vote

· At least twice as many group members must vote for it and ensures a significant number of voters will be satisfied by the decision.

§ Voting works best when:

· A group is pressed for time

· The issue is not highly controversial

· A group is too large to use any other decision-making method.

· A groups constitution or rules require voting on certain types of decisions.

o Consensus Seeking PG. 239

§ A group reaches a consensus when every group member agrees to support a decision or action. This is a decision in which all members find at least minimally acceptable as a means of accomplishing some mutual goal.

§ When reached, a consensus can unite and energize a group.

§ Consensus does not work well for all group situations. If a leader has too much power over a group and members were unwilling to express their authentic ideas/opinions, then it would not work well. Consensus seeking works best where members have equal status in groups that create a climate in which everyone feels comfortable about expressing their views.

(Decision Making Methods: PG. 238)