3.3 Processes for Decision Making
Administrative rules regarding how decisions are made – and who gets to make them – constitute another set of practices that agencies may find important to consider during the coordination process. Different agencies can have different types of leadership positions, and each of these positions may have different levels of decision-making power. For some organizations, decisions will be made by an individual leader, such as an executive director. Other groups may make decisions via a governing group, such as a county board of supervisors, a board of directors, or a council.36 Within this group-decision making framework, voting power may be evenly distributed amongst members, or may vary between individuals based on specific circumstances. Lastly, some groups may have multi-tiered systems for decision-making, wherein recommendations are made by one branch of a governing body but must be approved by another group for the decision to become formalized. Examples of this system include boards or commissions which have the authority to make decisions regarding specific topics – such as the spending of their own funds – but must otherwise receive approval from a governing board or via a public vote before their decisions can become finalized. For coordinating agencies, the number of decision-makers and their relative decision-making power can influence the speed and ease of decision-making, and proper planning is required to ensure that topics requiring decisions are brought forth to the appropriate person or governing body.