House model for decision making
How to use
Sit down / jump on zoom with the other person and together generate some examples of decisions that fall into each of the four categories.
That's it! The conversation around specific examples drives alignment and surfaces the boundaries of accountability.
Key point: Don't fill this out, e.g. as a manager, and then give it to someone in your team. Work through each category in the model together. There's a page of examples in the pdf to get you started.
Have questions? Need help? Reach out
Why focus on decision making?
The key to distributing work throughout a team is to provide clarity around decision making.
The old way of delegating tried assigning tasks/deliverables/duties to individuals in a team. This is both ineffective and a form of micromanagement, because it assumes a particular approach (when alternatives are often better suited) and requires the person with authority to oversee the organisation of work.
Instead, we delegate decision making authority - ideally to the people actually doing the work - and provide an engagement model, using examples, of when those people need to get us involved.
There are many ways to do this. I like to use this House model for decision making, which consolidates a number of decision making patterns into a straightforward, visual tool.
It's specifically suited to situations where a person in authority (e.g. manager, project lead) needs to delegate and it also works great for outlining the boundaries of decision making accountability between roles (e.g. two peer leaders on the same team).
The four decision making levels
Furniture decision
You make the call, no need to inform me. Arrange the scene, and rearrange when needed, using your judgement.
Window decision
You make the call and then let me know your decision so I have transparency into the matter.
Wall decision
It’s your call to make, but get input from me first to ensure integrity with the surrounding structure.
Foundation decision
You raise, give the context, perhaps offer options, but it’s my call to make. This decision affects the whole house.
Tried it out? Let me how it went