A632.7.4RB_CliftonEmily

Collaboration in decision making has become quite popular in the professional world here of late. Very few organizations work within their four walls, and have to work alongside many external venders. They are all interconnected partners in a coordinated operation. In this type of environment, one person’s decisions affect many others so they cannot be made in isolation. Organizational decisions require consultation and input from all those that can influence or be influenced by them. These people are the stakeholders, and I do not mean that in the sense of a business suit whose dollars have gone into their “share” of the company, although money can and usually is involved. To me the stakeholders are the ones who are really affected by the decisions made by those in the upper echelons of management. In my world I am a stakeholder of the University, the decisions made by the Chancellor and my Directors. If a decision is made that affects how I do my job, it affect my stakeholders; my students.  There are several reasons why involving employees and students (stakeholders) in decision making can be advantageous to the University (organization). Stakeholders have insight into issues; I know whether a procedure to curriculum change is going to be positive or negative. Stakeholders can secure resources to assist an organization with a decision or project; I advise my students on what to enroll in, they pay tuition, which makes money for the University. Involving stakeholders in decision making builds trust; we need to know that our opinions are valued. If our superiors listen to what we say, it builds trust and increases organizational commitment. Finally involving stakeholders in decision making increases transparency and leads to better decision making.

There are decisions made every day that require the input of stakeholders. For example, upon hiring a new Academic Advisor the interview and hiring process is not conducted simply by the management, but by a team of the would be advisors peers. The decision of who is hired directly affects the entire team, so making sure this individual jives with our team is crucial. We all asked the candidates several questions during the interview and talked about each one after the interview. On one occasion, upon completion of a set of interviews the management team was in favor of one candidate and the advising team on the panel was in favor of another candidate. We hashed out all the pros and cons for each, took the weekend to review their resumes again and came back together Monday morning to finalize. Again, it was split, however management took into consideration our wants and needs and hired the young lady that the advising team was pulling for. She was the perfect fit, has trained quickly and is producing fantastic results as an advisor. The fact the management saw value in what we wanted was very important.