If you wait until you have made the decision and then start to “sell” it, it’s unlikely to ever become effective.
Unless the organization has “bought” the decision, it will remain ineffectual; it will remain a good intention. And for a decision to be effective, being bought has to be built into it from the start of the decision-making process. This is one lesson to learn from Japanese management, As soon as it starts the decision process, and long before the final decision is made, Japanese management tells the decision
Everyone who is likely to be affected by a decision—say, to go into a joint venture with a Western company or to acquire a minority stake in a potential U.S. distributor—is asked to write down how such a decision would affect his work, job, and unit. He is expressly forbidden to have an opinion and to recommend or to object to the possible move, But he is expected to think it through. And top management, in turn, then knows where each of these people stands. Then top management makes the decision from the top down. There isn’t much “participatory management” in Japanese organizations. But everyone who will be affected by the decision knows what it is all about—whether he likes it or not—and is prepared for it. There is no need to sell it—it’s been sold.
ACTION POINT: Involve everyone who will have to carry out a decision in the process of making the decision. Then, based upon their contributions, decide who is most likely to carry out the decision effectively.
Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices
The Elements of Decision Making (Corpedia Online Program)
* Source: The Daily Drucker by Peter F. Drucker