{"id":84,"date":"2008-01-31T18:02:44","date_gmt":"2008-01-31T22:02:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/?p=84"},"modified":"2008-02-10T14:36:24","modified_gmt":"2008-02-10T18:36:24","slug":"coordinated-collaboration-the-best-of-hierarchical-and-consensual-methods-of-decision-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/coordinated-collaboration-the-best-of-hierarchical-and-consensual-methods-of-decision-making\/","title":{"rendered":"COORDINATED COLLABORATION: THE BEST OF HIERARCHICAL AND CONSENSUAL METHODS OF DECISION MAKING"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><font size=\"4\" color=\"#cc0099\">COLLABORATION WITHIN HIERARCHICAL SITUATIONS<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"4\" color=\"#cc0099\"><font size=\"3\" color=\"#003366\">Here is how I introduce these topics in my article explaining the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/freedownloads\/CollaborativeEdgearticleFinal.pdf\" title=\"Collaborative Edge Decision Making\">Collaborative Edge Decision Making method<\/a> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/pdf\/MetododeTomadeDecisionesdelBordedeColaboracionandHandoutsFinal.pdf\" title=\"Metodo de Toma de Decisiones\">Metodo de Toma de Decisiones del Borde de Colaboracion<\/a>\u00a0) and, particularly, the Coordinated Collaboration component for allowing collaborative decision making within time-limited and hierarchical settings: <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\" style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: 150%; text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\">&#8220;COMBINING HIERARCHY AND COLLABORATION<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: 150%\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Hierarchical and collaborative models of decision making both have strengths and weaknesses. Hierarchical models can breed apathy and alienation, and the absenteeism, low productivity, and carelessness which can result. Collaborative models can lead to an inability to reach conclusions and to carry out effective action and can degenerate into power struggles over leadership. The Collaborative Edge Decision Making Method combines the benefits of both collaboration and hierarchy:<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: 150%\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\">1. <span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%\">Benefits of Collaboration<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: 150%\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Collaboration, where people work together as equal colleagues toward a common goal, has the following benefits compared to strict, hierarchical, top-down decision making:<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: list .5in\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span><font color=\"#000000\">(a)<span style=\"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/font><\/span><font color=\"#000000\">The equal hearing of every viewpoint and the contribution of each person&#8217;s unique expert knowledge can<span>\u00a0 <\/span>lead to<span>\u00a0 <\/span>win\/win decisions which are more inclusive and creative;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: list .5in\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span><font color=\"#000000\">(b)<span style=\"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'\">\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/font><\/span><font color=\"#000000\"><span>\u00a0<\/span>Egalitarian expression of disagreement can address weaknesses, producing decisions that are objectively higher in quality;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: list .5in\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span><font color=\"#000000\">(c)<span style=\"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/font><\/span><font color=\"#000000\">When participants have a say in decisions affecting them, even when they do not get all of what they want, they experience greater &#8220;ownership&#8221; of decisions and become more willing and motivated to carry the decisions out; <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: list .5in\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span><font color=\"#000000\">(d)<span style=\"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'\">\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/font><\/span><font color=\"#000000\">Working together toward a common goal also produces feelings of friendship and collegiality which lead to greater enjoyment in working together and greater commitment to the group and the organization itself.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: 150%\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\">2. <span style=\"font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%\">Benefits of Hierarchy<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: 150%\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>In most business settings, clear, hierarchical lines of authority and responsibility insure that:<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt 39.75pt; text-indent: -18.75pt; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: list 39.75pt\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span><font color=\"#000000\">(a)<span style=\"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/font><\/span><font color=\"#000000\">Decisions can be made within prescribed time limits;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt 39.75pt; text-indent: -18.75pt; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: list 39.75pt\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span><font color=\"#000000\">(b)<span style=\"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/font><\/span><font color=\"#000000\">Specialized expertise of individuals can be utilized effectively;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt 39.75pt; text-indent: -18.75pt; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: list 39.75pt\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span><font color=\"#000000\">(c)<span style=\"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/font><\/span><font color=\"#000000\">An overview of the entire organization&#8217;s objectives and projects can be developed by executives, in communication with any advisory Boards and shareholders. This overview can be communicated to managers, who can organize the efforts of work groups toward accomplishing these over-all objectives.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt 39.75pt; text-indent: -18.75pt; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: list 39.75pt\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span><font color=\"#000000\">(d)<span style=\"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/font><\/span><font color=\"#000000\">&#8220;The buck stops here.&#8221; Clear lines of responsibility, and the accompanying power and authority needed to take responsibility, are established.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: 150%\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><font size=\"4\">3. <span>Coordinated Collaboration Component<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: 150%\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>In pure consensual decision making, a decision is not made until everyone in the group feels able to go along with it. At the very least, dissenting group members have to be willing to say, &#8220;I&#8217;m not willing to participate in the project that way, but it&#8217;s okay with me if you three want to carry it out, &#8220;or, &#8220;I think there&#8217;s a better way to be found, but I&#8217;m willing to go along as long as we review the outcome in a month&#8221; or some such qualified assent. <\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: 150%\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>If someone is not able to agree in any way, it is assumed that the decision is flawed, some piece of information needed for problem-solving is missing, or not yet articulated, and the group will benefit from spending more time sitting with the decision until an acceptable solution arises. Committees can be formed to gather more information, and group members can spend time individually or in pairs using Intuitive Focusing to look for innovative solutions.<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0in 0in 6pt; line-height: 150%\"><font color=\"#000000\"><font face=\"Times New Roman\"><span>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>However, in many situations within an organization, decisions have to be made on a timetable and passed along to other collaborative teams or up the hierarchy. Using the Coordinated Collaboration approach of the Collaborative Edge Decision Making method, a Coordinator or Project Manager can set time limits for Collaborative Decision Making and be empowered to make final decisions when the time limits are up and take these to other levels.<span>\u00a0 <\/span>Coordinated Collaboration allows the benefits of collaboration within the time limits and structured responsibility of hierarchical organization, capitalizing upon the best of both models.&#8221;<\/font><\/font><\/p>\n<p><font size=\"4\" color=\"#cc0099\" face=\"Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif\">Actual Steps of Coordinated Collaboration Procedure <\/font><\/p>\n<p><font color=\"#003366\" face=\"Trebuchet MS,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif\"><a href=\"http:\/\/archive.constantcontact.com\/fs018\/1101671080238\/archive\/1101960451889.html\" title=\"E-newsletter Hierarchy and Consensus\">Read on<\/a> to discover the actual steps of the Coordinated Collaboration procedure.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><strong>Find links to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=79\" title=\"Links to Resources\"><font color=\"#b85b5a\">free articles, personality tests, multi-media\u00a0Self-Help training, Classes and workshops<\/font><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/about\/index.php#kathy\" title=\"Dr. Kathy McGuire, Director\"><font color=\"#0066cc\">Dr. Kathy McGuire<\/font><\/a>, Director<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/about\/index.php\" title=\"About Creative Edge Focusing (TM)\"><font color=\"#b85b5a\">Creative Edge Focusing (TM)<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/\"><font color=\"#b85b5a\">www.cefocusing.com<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The site of new insights and creative solutions is at the edge of what is already known. This edge, The Creative Edge, holds implicit within it all past and future knowing about the problem, more than could ever be put into words in a linear way\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>COLLABORATION WITHIN HIERARCHICAL SITUATIONS Here is how I introduce these topics in my article explaining the Collaborative Edge Decision Making method (Metodo de Toma de Decisiones del Borde de Colaboracion\u00a0) and, particularly, the Coordinated Collaboration component for allowing collaborative decision making within time-limited and hierarchical settings: &#8220;COMBINING HIERARCHY AND COLLABORATION \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hierarchical and collaborative models [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,6,45,7,14,15,10,13,11],"tags":[173,740,170,219,172,749,57,175,220,176,744,174,171,177],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}