A quick poll of collaborators to reveal preferences and opinions
HARNESSING a group’s collective intelligence is not always easy, but doing so can prove to be enormously valuable. By democratizing the decision-making process, you ensure that no single voice or idea takes precedence; instead, everyone is encouraged to be judicious for the sake of finding the favored option. Visualize the Vote is a good way to get everyone’s input, giving each person the opportunity to indicate preferences and opinions before final decisions are made.
This is a simple method to employ, and offers a good degree of flexibility. For instance, when using it to pick the best solution among many, you can give everyone a token to cast a single vote. Or, if you need to consider details or prioritize a subset of alternatives, give everyone multiple voting tokens. You can also provide different types of indicators to address different issues (highest priority, best opportunities). Whatever the need, voting provides a quick catalyst for discussion, moving a project toward realization.