Summary:

Biases in meetings can undermine the effectiveness of strategic planning and the subsequent strategy the company chooses to follow, particularly when a strategic company decision is to be made. This article offers strategies to effectively managing biases in meetings.  Advice given is to begin by including a diverse group of members to increase the level of critical thinking. Diversity of backgrounds, cultures, area of expertise, and ideas will broaden the range of perspectives and feedback.

Before the meeting takes place, be sure to assign homework to participants that includes collecting sufficient and accurate data from which to base decisions upon. Perhaps creating fact gathering teams charged with developing opposing hypothesis and actively discussing the key points.

Creating a “peer-like” atmosphere is yet another tip in managing bias by allowing members an opportunity to share experiences or data-driven opinions. In this atmosphere, encourage expressions of doubt and create a climate that recognizes reasonable people may disagree when discussing difficult decisions.

There will be better success if, prior to the meeting,  leadership ensures members understand the purpose of the meeting (to make a decision) and the criteria needed to make the decision. In this stage, using the “postmortem technique” of looking ahead and imagining that the outcome has failed and then listing possible causes for the failure will help identify weaknesses in the proposal.

Article Quote:

“For the portion of the meeting where a decision is going to be made, keep attendance to a minimum, preferably with a team that has experience making decisions together. This loads the dice in favor of depersonalized debate by eliminating executives’ fear of exposing their subordinates to conflict and also creates, over time, an environment of trust among that small group of decision makers.”

Link: “Taking the bias out of meetings”

Member diversity, creating an atmosphere that allows for data driven opinions, and postmortem techniques are all useful tips in taking the bias out of meetings in order to make better strategic decisions. It is very important to keep the focus of any meeting on outcome and action. In this case, the outcome focus in on making a decision, but the very next and equally important step is to develop an action plan that is in line with the strategic effort, resources, and ability to successfully carry out the action plan.

For more on strategic planning, seehttp://www.performancesolutionstech.com/category/strategicplanning/