Unilateral decision-making models are based on the concept of a leader being responsible for the whole process and having the most influence on the final say. The main advantage of this approach is time efficiency; it allows one to respond to issues quickly and not waste time on discussion. It can and should be employed in time-sensitive matters or when teamwork is not necessary to develop the best solution. However, with the unilateral model, the reliability of the decision is lower: one person cannot review an issue from all perspectives. Li and Chapman (2020) add that “medical decision-making frequently involves risk and uncertainty, difficult trade-offs, information overload, decisions about future outcomes, and interdependent behaviors, as well as reliance on numbers” (p. 347). Moreover, if the leader constantly refuses the team’s participation in the process of decision-making, it negatively affects employee engagement, compliance, and willingness to improve.
As opposed to the unilateral model, group decision-making is based on the team’s efforts to find a solution. This method offers the leader and their employees a framework to discuss the issue and review it from different sides, which facilitates reliability. Group decisions also work well in a setting where the outcome influences the employees directly: if they are allowed to offer their opinion on the matter, it enhances trust and engagement. Moreover, for issues where teamwork is essential, group decision is the most useful tool to achieve the right solution. However, this approach does not work well with time-sensitive issues; discussions usually take a lot of time, and reaching a consensus might be difficult. Additionally, the model should not be used for deciding on minor issues that do not require much input from the employees or on problems that should not concern them, such as the facility’s specific policies, for example.
I think as a healthcare manager, I would need to employ both models in my work, as different decisions require different approaches to them. A leader has to be able to maneuver between various decision-making styles to be the most effective when it comes to deciding on solutions. According to Žibert and Starc (2020), “success is based on an appropriate managerial approach since management styles have a direct impact on the introduction of change by transforming employee attitudes” (p. 209). Thus, depending on the situation and possible outcomes, I would use both the unilateral and the group decision models in my work.
References
Li, M., & Chapman, G. B. (2020). Medical decision making.The Wiley Encyclopedia of Health Psychology, 347–353. Web.
Žibert, A., & Starc, A. (2018). Healthcare organizations and decision-making: Leadership style for growth and development.Journal of Applied Health Sciences, 4(2), 209–224. Web.