From Chaos to Clarity
A Structured Approach to Decision-Making
Have You Ever Been in a Meeting Where Making a Decision Seems Impossible? The lack of clarity and accountability can turn a simple choice into chaos. This slow decision-making can lead to missing valuable opportunities. So, how can we simplify these decisions without sacrificing transparency and fostering more collaborative leadership? It seems like a difficult paradox to solve.
Effective leadership demands clarity, accountability, and agility in decision-making. However, as companies grow, the process becomes more complex and slow. The question is: how can we make quick and effective decisions without relying on rigid hierarchical structures? This was the same question Gokul Rajaram and his colleague Jeff Kolovson faced while working at Square. In response, they designed a model that facilitates difficult decisions in a structured and transparent way. Let’s explore it:
S.P.A.D.E. is an acronym that describes a decision-making process:
S: Setting – Define the problem or decision that needs to be addressed.
P: People – Identify the people involved and their roles. For example: María is responsible for deciding, Juan and Elena provide data, Fran approves the final decision, and Laura communicates it to the rest of the organization.
A: Alternatives – Encourage brainstorming to explore and evaluate different solutions with the involved roles.
D: Decide – The responsible individuals make the final decision (in this case, María and Fran), considering the input received and the pros and cons of each option.
E: Explain – Communicate the decision to all stakeholders, ensuring transparency and understanding.
You can draw inspiration from the S.P.A.D.E. model to implement more collaborative leadership at every decision-making stage. Adopting this process not only improves team efficiency but also builds trust and ensures decisions are made with purpose and transparency.