Handbook of Decision Analysis, 2nd Edition

Appendix BDecision Conferencing

Decisions of the kind the executive has to make… are well made only if based on the clash of existing views, the dialog between different points of view, the choice between different judgments. The first rule in decision making is that one does not make a decision unless there is a disagreement.

— Peter Drucker, Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices

None of us is smarter than all of us.

— Japanese Proverb

CHAPTER MENU

• B.1 Introduction
• B.2 Decision Conference Process and Format
• B.3 Location, Facilities, and Equipment
• B.4 Use of Group Processes
• B.5 Advantages and Disadvantages
• B.6 Best Practices
• B.7 Summary
• Key Terms
• References

B.1 Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of a specialized group facilitation approach that has been in use since the late 70s, known as decision conferencing. According to the website of the International Decision Conferencing Forum, a professional association comprised of decision conference practitioners, the formal definition and characteristics of a decision conference are as follows (IDCF, 2012):

Decision Conferencing is a collaborative process that involves a series of intensive working meetings called decision conferences. During these conferences, participants address complex issues facing their organizations. Unlike traditional meetings with prepared presentations and fixed agendas, decision conferences are live, working sessions lasting from 1 to 3 days. An impartial ...