This work offers a summary of the book “HOW GREAT DECISIONS GET MADE: 10 Easy Steps for Reaching Agreement on Even the Toughest Issues” by Don Maruska.
Dan Maruska suggests that often, businesses decisions are surrounded by fear: employees are scared to express an opinion and they feel threatened by change foisted on them. Maruska proposes a different way for businesses to approach decision-making, one that fosters enthusiasm, hope and cohesion. He gives ten steps for achieving this, ones which have been tested in Fortune 500 and high-growth companies over more than a decade of real world experience. Maruska also provides strategies for overcoming common obstacles you might encounter on the way. “If you’ve been bogged down in divisive and unproductive debates, just imagine what it would be like if your team member’s philosophy was ‘We can do this together’”.
Everyone in the company should be a stakeholder, and as such should be given accurate information about the company and considered a decision-maker. All employees should be aware of the end-goal in any big decision, and the end-goal should be something everyone should have a stake in. Executives should never start a workforce meeting having decided the outcome. Maruska explains how to overcome obstacles such as a blame-culture and circular debates. How Great Decisions Get Made offers a way for businesses to develop their most valuable resource, their employees.