Making Decisions in My Organizations

Making Decisions in My Organizations

My allegiance is given to three organizations right now, and I have decision-making roles in each. I choose to describe them together rather than choosing one, because as I thought on the decision making process there are some eerie similarities and consistencies among them. All three organizations are run with a spirit of democracy and openness. All three would describe themselves as groups where employees and members are encouraged to take part in the decision making process. Yet all three basically leave decision making up to one person’s judgment.
In Mennofolk, a series of Mennonite folk music festivals, decisions are made by the key organizer in the group: myself. Though I have no official title or job description, I am the self-elected person who takes the most initiative to work on projects related to the organization. I am surrounded by a committee of very supportive, busy people who have little time to engage decisions, and continue to put a huge stock of trust in my judgment. Everything I have done has been met with approval and support. I am trying to build a structure that will encompass the eventual debates that I hope come with maturity in this organization. However, for now, I continue to struggle with strategic and financial decisions with little input from the rest of the committee. Hence, decisions are made based on the resources of time, energy and passion that are available to me at the moment of choice.
I work as an employee of my father in another group, a medical practice called the Celebration of Health Association. Dr. Terry Chappell, my boss, makes decisions there that are highly subjective with almost no input from others. Though he has an accountant and an office manager, he is much more likely to make decisions based on values and his own ever-changing vision that on hard facts, money, or outside analysis. As I advise him and work though each decision that I can with him, I am learning to recognize my own thought patterns in his decision making process, and yet I can also stand apart and realize the flaws of this individualistic method. I am encouraging him to form a board that might add discipline to his decision patterns.
I am the Executive Director of a medical association called the International College of Advancement in Medicine. For large decisions, I present the case to my board of directors at one of our monthly meetings. Someone on the board makes a motion, another seconds the motion, we discuss it and then the board members vote. Often we postpone a final decision until more facts or bids can be gathered. Due to the nature of the board members, I find that I control the outcome of the decisions by how I present the material to them, despite the fact that I don’t even vote. The atmosphere of the ICIM board is that conflict is avoided and once dissent occurs, the dissenter quickly gives in to debate. We have rarely had a vote that was not anonymous. Of course, this does not show a board that is truly unified in mind; it only points out that we have little comfort or context for proper wide discussion on most issues. Because I am new in this field, I commonly use intuition as my primary compass.
Because of the positions and nature of the groups I take part in, I am rarely in a situation of true group processing. In some ways this seems like a benefit because I have so much autonomy. However, this can also lead to situations of anxiety, over-responsibility and stress, and it points to a personal danger zone. How can I have accountability to others and not abuse the power I have been granted by organizations that avoid structures or rituals for shared decision making?