The Hoy-Tarter Model of Decision Making

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Can you trust people to make decisions in the interests of the team?

Imagine that up until now, your team has always worked in the office, but a valued member needs to relocate for his partner's job. He would then be unable to travel into work every day, so he is considering changing jobs.

Rather than lose him to another, more commutable firm, you're considering letting him work from home. But, if you do that, you should probably extend the policy to everyone.

However, you don't want to lose the team's good sense of community and you're concerned that, while not everyone would want to work from home, those who do might lack the self-discipline to remain productive.

So, should you make the decision on your own, or involve the team? And, if you do involve them, should you seek the opinion of every member or just the one who is moving away? After all, if you make the decision on your own, you may lose people who don't like your plan. If you consult them and then overrule their feedback, the situation could be even worse.

Deciding who to include in the decision-making process – and how much influence to give them over the final outcome – can be difficult, and controversial. If you get the balance wrong, there can be repercussions, for both the quality of the decision and your team's morale and motivation.

In this article, we'll explore the dynamics of group decision making using the Hoy-Tarter Model, a tool that helps you decide when and how to involve others in the decision-making process....