(* original blogpost - I want to make a decision. Should I use Advice or Consent?)

Why do we distribute decision-making at Vizzuality?

One of the elements that make a Self Managed Organisation very powerful is that decision-making is distributed across the organization and everyone is empowered to make decisions. In an organization like ours people have a lot more power than they would in a traditional system (ie. a boss making all the decisions on behalf of the team/person) which gives them the opportunity to make decisions that affect their work.

At Vizzuality we distribute decision-making using the Advice Process & Group Consent Decision Making.

1. Should I use Advice or Consent?

One of the main differences between the advice process and group consent is in regard to how we deal with objections and negative feedback. When receiving objections during Group Consent you have to work with the “objector” to integrate the feedback and try to commit together to a final decision. While in the Advice Process, you are not required to integrate the feedback and objection.

Which method you use also depends on other considerations such as scope, time, people impacted, etc. Below you will find some “general guidelines” for deciding which is the best option for you.

Advice:

• Decisions in which you are willing to take responsibility for the outcome (Individual responsibility)
• When you feel really strongly about your proposal/decision and don't want to spend time working with objections or integrating advice or negative feedback from people.
• Decisions with a clear domain, where outside input is helpful but not essential.
• The decision owner has the best context but wants to check their own assumptions.
• Ad hoc decisions as they arise and unforeseen decisions that emerge from the work.

Consent:

• You are willing to work with others to integrate their (negative) feedback and objections to your own proposal/decision. (Group responsibility)
• To cultivate a culture of experimentation and smart risk-taking (Is this safe to try?)-
• Create new guidelines that affect everyone in Vizzuality.
• Complex decisions of greater consequence / larger scope that benefit from integrating multiple points of view.
• Where you need to quickly get a clear commitment on a challenging problem.

So far (June 2023) at Vizzuality we have mainly used Group Consent to make decisions on new guidelines that affect everyone on the team using our blogpost platform (Blogin). However, this method can also be used for other group decisions (FA, Project Teams) and using other channels (Slack, Google Doc, Meetings).

Depending on your specific situation, you might end up using both methods. For example, you might start with Advice to “test your ideas” with a few people, and then put it to Consent to involve more people in the team. Or you could start with Consent, involving the whole team, and if there are any objections that might block the decision, you could use the Advice Process to continue working individually only with people who raised objections to try to get to a solution.

2. Advice Process.

Anyone can make a decision in order to improve/change something (ie. process, tool, team, etc.) as long as they ask for advice from those impacted by the decision and with expertise in the topic, and if they are willing to take responsibility for the outcomes.

Who can make a decision using the advice process?

Everyone is empowered to use the advice process to make decisions and move ideas forward that they think are important and urgent. You might also be chosen by a group of people that don’t want to decide or don't feel comfortable doing it. The goal is inclusion and to enable those that feel a sense of urgency to take initiative.

(*) Some decisions are legally required to be made by the shareholders of the company and are therefore excluded. Please check our playbook to learn more about exclusions.

Am I the best person to make this decision?

There is a way of thinking about “decisions” that is going to affect how you/we do it. And that's the concept of risk and the “waterline on a boat”.

A hole below the waterline sinks the boat. Sinks Vizzuality. But a hole above the waterline, we can just patch that when we get back to shore. So for each of us, the question is, if you're making a decision, the first thing you have to figure out is, where does that decision sit? Is it below the waterline? Is it risky? Is it going to do us harm if you get it wrong? Or is it survivable? Is it reversible? Is it something we can learn from as we go? If it's survivable, make a decision, and just do it. Let's improve and change things.

But if you are not sure about your decision, you have to get advice. For example:

• “My decision sits below the waterline and it's risky”. Get advice.

• “I am not sure / don’t know if the decision sits above or below”. Get advice.

• “I am not sure if I have all the information/context/experience to decide”. Get advice

So, you still have the power, but you have to go to the people that will be affected/impacted by the decision or the people that have even made similar decisions before (experts) and get their input to shape what you ultimately do.

How to run an Advice Process?

1. Identify the need: You notice a problem or opportunity to improve something and are willing to move it forward by making a decision.

2. Prepare: Take some time to prepare your ideas. You may seek input from others to test your initial ideas. Please consider: Which decision do you want to make? , Why is the decision important for you/FA/Vizz? Why now? , When do you want to decide? Who will you seek advice from (Experts & Impacted)? How are you sharing the outcome of the decision?

3. Proposal: Make it explicit. Share your intention and context for the decision. “I would like to run an advice process. I see an opportunity and this is the decision I propose to take. Can you give me your advice?”.

4. Gather Advice: Talk to people who are experts (*) and impacted (**) by the decision. Ask clarifying questions. Consider their advice.

5. Decide: Having taken all advice into account, which you must do, you then make your decision and inform those who have given advice. Discuss your decision with those that were of different opinions.

(* Experts: have made similar decisions before, know more than you do on the topic, have been here longer, and can provide a broader perspective about Vizz on how we do things, etc.)

(** Impacted: The people who will be “living” with your decision when it's approved, people who will have to change/adapt their ways of working as a response to your decision, etc.)

Can I just make a decision? Pledges, Roles & Guidelines

Project Pledges & Role Definition: When you have made explicit to the team your intention of making X decision within your role definition and/or project pledges, advice is not needed, and you can make the decision. Make this agreement with the team before you start “doing the work” so everyone knows that “decision X” is part of your responsibilities.

Agreed Guidelines: If there is an existing guideline (ie. playbook) that covers the decision you want to make, you don't need advice. You can make the decision right away.

Also, for smaller decisions, and decisions that don't impact anyone else but you, you can decide without gathering advice.

What if someone disagrees? What should I do with the advice received?

Advice received must be taken into consideration. But advice is simply advice. Ownership of the issue stays clearly with one person: the decision-maker. The point is not to end up with a poor decision/proposal because you have to please everyone.

People respect decisions if they feel they were heard and understood. To ensure this, discuss your decision in individual conversations with those that gave you contradicting advice before you publicly communicate your decision. Explain that you heard them, that you understand their point of view, and why despite that you decided differently.

If new ideas emerge during the advice, you might choose to:

1. Amend your proposed decision

2. Establish a working group to refine it

3. Stop the proposal and not pursue the idea

4. If you are convinced that you are closest to the information required to make the decision you may decide to make (or trial) the decision and to be responsible for the outcomes.

If we disagree with a decision, we practice tolerance and bring it up with the decision-maker. We follow the conflict resolution process if necessary.

How many people do I need to include in the Advice Process?

As a rule of thumb “The greater the impact of a decision, the more people we get advice from”. Depending on the decision, this could include just a few peers, your FA or project team, people from other FAs, all the way to the Exec Team.

The advice can come through various channels, including one-on-one conversations, meetings, or Slack.

If you notice a decision has been made without experts or those affected being consulted then this is an issue that you need to discuss with the decision-maker.

3. Group Consent

A variation of the advice process

Group Consent is a variation of the advice process, in which the decision-maker shares a proposal and invites other people to voice their position (i.e. consent, object, ask questions/clarifications, etc.), and then the decision-maker communicates the outcome.

There is a big difference between Consensus (Everyone must agree 100%) and Consent (No one objects). And here we are looking for Consent, not Consensus. Consent doesn't mean everyone loves the decision, but that they can live with it. Consent it's all about moving from what “I personally want, my needs and preferences” to “I can accept/live with this decision because it can benefit the team/organization, even if it's not my preferred option”.

How to run a Group Consent Process?

1. Identify the need & prepare: You notice a problem or opportunity to improve something and are willing to move it forward by making a decision. Take some time to prepare your ideas. (What’s the decision?, Why is important for you/FA/Vizz?, When do you want to decide? How are you sharing the outcomes?)

2. Proposal: The decision owner shares a specific proposal. “I propose we X and would like your consent. Is this safe to try? Please consent 👍 or object 👎"

(Please add any relevant context, timelines, and how you will share the outcomes) I want to make the decision by X and will share the outcomes in X channel).

3. Questions: Ask questions to clarify understanding. Allow people to react to the proposal

4. Objections: If the proposal is “not safe to try” and someone raises an objection, the decision owner works with the objector to integrate and edit/amend the proposal. (More on objections below)

5. Decide: Commit (together with the objector, if applicable) to the decision

What’s an Objection?

The consent principle says that a decision can be made as long as no one has a valid “objection”. A valid objection is not “I’d prefer another option” but “I think doing this will harm Vizzuality”

Consent if:

• I like it / I agree with it / My preference
• I can live with it, even if it's not my preference or what I like the most

Object if:

• It will harm us
• I won't be able to do my work

If the proposal is “good enough for now and safe enough to try”, even if it's not your preferred option, go for it (consent). The idea here is to prioritize progress over perfection

Now, if one person raises a valid objection, the decision process is paused. The proposer must work together with the objector (and more people if relevant), and try to find a solution that overcomes the objection before making the final decision.

How to work with an objection?

• Explore and deep dive into the objection. Is it really not safe to try? Or it's more a personal preference (“I would rather do something else”)?, Does the objector have real and recent data (qualitative, quantitative) that this decision will move us back as a team?

• Involve the objector in the solution process. Instead of seeing the objection as “You vs Me”, you can ask them “How would you change/edit/improve the proposal to make it safe to try for you?”.

• Do some modifications to the scope. For example, you could present it as a “prototype/test”, or you might want to make it shorter in time (“This decision will not be forever. We implement and review the decision in 3 months”), or you might make it smaller for now (“Instead of implementing ABC, we will just kick off with AB”)

4. Are there other alternatives to distributed decision-making?

Yes. In most organizations, approaches to decision-making go from Individual Action to Consensus. While both of these approaches can be useful in limited situations, they more frequently lead to dysfunction when it comes to balancing power and inclusion.

Consensus is more inclusive (we wait until everyone agrees), but there is no clarity on who has the power to decide. This method is usually slow and frustrating. Rather than feeling empowered, apart from the more outspoken/extroverted people, the rest of the team might feel left out or unheard.

Individual Action (one person decides on their own) may help make faster decisions, but not better decisions. This method concentrates power and minimizes inclusion.