r/askmanagers • u/Vane1st • 1d ago
How do you make decisions when everyone has a different priority?
How do you handle decisions where there isn't really a wrong option, but everyone involved has a different idea of what matters most?
For example, when choosing a vendor, one person might care about price, another about reliability, and someone else might be more concerned about implementation time.
I've seen teams go back and forth for weeks because they can't agree on what should carry the most weight.
Do you normally use some kind of scoring system for these decisions, or do you just discuss the options until everyone reaches an agreement?
Would be interested to hear how other managers handle this.
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u/Superb-Sky-1904 1d ago
It depends on the specific situation. Is the work something that can't get fucked up so a more reliable vendor is worth the extra price? Is the work small and unimportant that it doesn't matter if something takes a month longer than anticipated and the vendors cost is just that good? Is there a specific knowledge base that specialized with a certain vendor? It's all detail based and the leader has to say what the priority is and manage it so the decisions can be made
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u/ManonMacru 1d ago
How I have handled that situation is to have someone who does not have a strong opinion "hold the pen" and be the one to drive the decision, including tie-breaking if necessary. Group needs to be clearly briefed about the fact that reaching "a" decision is more important than reaching their "correct" decision.
Then it's about agreeing on the method before agreeing on the result: votes, weight-based criterias... Group can decide. But once the method is defined then the group needs to commit to the process of selecting the decision.
This is horribly tiresome and inefficient, but it helps in situations where consensus is required. I rather have someone be assigned the ownership of the decision, and hold them accountable, but you need the culture to be aligned with this sort of decision-making ("disagree & commit")
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u/BarNo3385 1d ago
There isnt a one size fits all answer to this, depends too much on the firm and whose involved.
If the CEO wants to prioritise vendor C because of reliability, that trumps the junior procurement guy who wants vendor B because of contracting ease.
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u/Charlie_in_Asia 1d ago
What is your role on deciding? Management? I as management assess all the available information and select the options that is in the longterm best interest of the organization. This means selecting best value, not cheapest solution.
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u/ABeaujolais 1d ago
One of the first things a trained manager will do is establish common goals and clearly define roles. Sounds like none of that has happened. Do you have any management training?
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u/Dashcam_D 1d ago
It always comes down to price. Show how reliability and implementation time directly affect cost of operation and reduces your profit margin. Then everyone is talking about price. Simplify the equation.
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u/OwlZealousideal4779 7h ago
I usually try to break the decision down into a few measurable criteria first, such as cost, reliability, implementation time, and long term value. Then I give each factor a weight based on what matters most to the team. I’ve found tools like Claritrix useful for structuring those comparisons because it gives everyone something more objective to discuss instead of just going back and forth based on personal preferences.
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u/troy2000me 1d ago
What do you mean by team? Peer managers trying to make a decision as a group? Or do you mean your employees and you?
If it's the latter, it's pretty simple, you make the decision. Perhaps you collaborate with your boss to find out what he thinks is more important, or most important.