How Great Decisions Get Made: 10 Easy Steps for Reaching Agreement on Even the Toughest Issues

225 Pages·2003·1.19 MB·English

by  Don Maruska

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How
G
reat
D
ecisions
Get Made
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10
Easy Steps for Reaching
Agreement on Even
the Toughest Issues
Don Maruska
Foreword by Margaret J. Wheatley
American Management Association
New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City
San Francisco • Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington, D. C.
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Special discounts on bulk quantities of AMACOM books are available to corporations,
professional associations, and other organizations. For details, contact Special Sales Depart-
ment, AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway,
New York, NY 10019.
Tel.: [phone]. Fax: [phone].
Web site: www.amacombooks.org
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to
the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not
engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other
expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be
sought.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Maruska, Don.
How great decisions get made : 10 easy steps for reaching agreement on even the toughest
issues / Don Maruska. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8144-0793-5
1. Group decision making. I. Title.
HD30.23.M375 2003
658.4'036—dc21 2003010065
© 2004 Don Maruska
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Illustrations on pp. 67 and 77 by Andrew Ellul.
This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of AMACOM, a division of
American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.
Printing number
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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This book is dedicated to Art for inspiring me
and Liz and Katy for encouraging me.
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Contents
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Foreword ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction 1
PART 1:
MAKING GREAT DECISIONS 11
Fear Undermines Decision Making 12
Hopes Stimulate Great Results 21
The Practical Ten-Step Process Is the Key to Positive Change 24
When to Use This Process 28
How Long Will It Take? 29
Putting the Process into Play 30
PART 2:
TEN EASY STEPS FOR REACHING AGREEMENT 33
How to Use Each Step and Gain Practical Value 34
STEP #1
Enlist Everyone: Invite Hidden Talent as Well as Visible
Talent and Avoid Creating Enemies 35
STEP #2
Discover Shared Hopes: Multiply Your Prospects for Success 47
STEP #3
Uncover the Real Issues: Listen to Thoughts and Feelings 61
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vi Contents
STEP #4
Identify All Options: See the Whole Tree Before You Go
out on a Limb 72
STEP #5
Gather the Right Information: Look Through the Lens
of Your Hopes 81
STEP #6
Get Everything on the Table: 100 Percent Information,
Zero Percent Debate 90
STEP #7
Write Down Choices That Support Shared Hopes:
Take the Guesswork out of Decisions 100
STEP #8
Map Solutions: See Clear Results 109
STEP #9
Look Ahead: Be Prepared with Alternatives 116
STEP #10
Stay Charged Up: Celebrate Results and Renew Your Hopes 122
PART 3:
SIX STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING OBSTACLES 131
STRATEGY #1
Don’t Have Time? Try the 30-Minute Miracle 133
STRATEGY #2
Not in Charge? Employ Persuasive Techniques 141
STRATEGY #3
No Guide? Follow the Self-Directed Process 149
STRATEGY #4
Very Large Group? Solve Problems the Way You Play
the Accordion 158
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Contents vii
STRATEGY #5
Can’t Get Everyone Together? Be an E-Team 168
STRATEGY #6
Stuck? Dissolve Old Differences and Build Trust 174
Epilogue: Be an Agent of Hope in a Fearful World 184
Appendix A The Ten-Step Improvement Checklist 191
Bibliography 199
Index 203
About the Author 208
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Foreword
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I no longer meet people who look forward to going to work meet-
ings. Or public hearings. Or school board meetings. Or any session
where decisions need to be made. We don’t want to be at these meet-
ings because we know exactly what will happen. People will either
overparticipate or sit there bored. Those who talk will become pro-
gressively louder and more emotional. One or two people will
monopolize the process and try to ramrod through their agenda,
while everyone else gets angry at their tactics. We won’t feel listened
to; we won’t believe that anyone understands our position. And
nothing will get done—the problem that called us together, that
each of us cares about, will not be resolved. If a decision gets made,
it will not represent us, and our relationships will be more fractured
at the meeting’s end than when we started.
In the past few years, I’ve watched the disintegration of decision-
making processes in organizations, communities, and families. I’ve
observed how difficult it is for people to work together, how we no
longer want to work together, and how frustrated we all are that no
one seems capable of good decision making. How did we get into
this sorry mess? When and why did it become so difficult to work
together well? Was there ever a time when we left meetings feeling
good about the quality of our decision making, when we enjoyed
working together, when we looked forward to the next time we
could think and dream together?
DonMaruskaknowshowtocreatepositive, productive meetings
and successful decisionsintoday’sfracturedandexhaustedenviron-
ment.Hiswell-testedprocessmakesitpossibletoreachhigh-quality
decisions based on accessing everyone’s good thinking and greatest
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