How to Make (truly) Collaborative Decisions in your Lab

Collaborative decision-making integrates diverse views and combines strengths that increase the engagement and productivity of the entire team.?

Decisions that affect the entire team can be made truly collaborative. But before establishing a collaborative format, it is essential to understand that not all decisions can be made this way. Some decisions are connected to bureaucratic and institutional issues and must be made exclusively by the P.I. or research coordinators. However, collaborative decision-making can positively impact the research environment when this is not the case.

First of all, whatever the format, it is fundamental that the decision-making process is guided by explicit norms of communication and based on solid evidence. Furthermore, the team must agree on the decision-making format in advance. These steps will ensure that all participants perceive the decision as fair.?

Expert's Decision

We need to recognize that it is not always possible for the team to make collaborative decisions. Sometimes, the team's topic is not well known enough to make the best decision possible. In these cases, It is necessary to trust in an expert's opinion on the subject. This trust is not blind, and the team needs to actively participate, questioning the reasons and logic for the decision to learn and recognize its impact on everyone's work. The expert can be either the P.I., a team member, or an external researcher experienced in the decision topic.

Majority Decision

In cases where the team has the competence to discuss and decide on an issue, it is possible to establish a democratic system in which the majority decision will be accepted and implemented. Despite its usefulness, the majority decision is not perfect. It can generate disagreements and conflicts in the group, sometimes due to the feeling of injustice on the part of the minority.

Decision by Consensus?

Consensus decision-making happens when all members agree on a common path to follow. It is crucial to indicate that literal agreement by all is not necessary. Still, members who do not see the decision as the best possible are willing to support the team in the decision's implementation. This support is based on trust between members, solid reasoning for the decision, and clarity of well-established objectives before the decision is made.

Combining Formats

Different decision-making formats can also be combined. For example, the majority decision can generate a tie, and to resolve it is possible to call an expert to break the tie and make the implementation possible. An expert's initial decision can also be brought to the team so that the arguments and evidence for that decision are exposed to a consensus before the implementation. In the same way that the specific format for decision-making needs to be clear, the combination also needs to be established in advance to generate a sense of fairness throughout the team.

Whatever the format for collaborative decision-making, we must lay the groundwork and maintain the flexibility to combine formats when required. Collaborative decision-making can combine the vision of each team member in the search for solutions or improvements in the research environment. By implementing it, we will leverage our strengths and create an environment with more engagement and collaboration and, consequently, more productivity.