The other day I was talking to a department head about the concept of collaborative decision making. He felt that he, as department head, should make the decision. I suggested that he should bring the entire department into the decision-making process. My reasoning was simple. Yes, he might be the smartest in the department, and be in the best position to make the decision. But, did he really think that he was smarter than the other five department members combined?
When we bring others into the decision we gain the knowledge of the entire group which, hopefully, is greater than just the knowledge and wisdom of the department head. In autocratic and bureaucratic cultures, the department head makes the decision. In collaborative cultures, the decision making is shared. Is there any wonder why collaborative cultures are more successful?
