In any successful organization, certain decisions are best made by teams–especially when those teams must take responsibility for and act on those decisions.  An interesting study analyzed how team members’ attitudes and perceptions developed before and during team decision-making.  The researchers also followed-up to see how the consequences of the team decision-making process influenced individual satisfaction with the team. Questionnaires were filled out by 84 participants working in 28 teams making a management decision. The results found that individual satisfaction with the team is positively related to members’ self-efficacy for teamwork and their perception of the decision’s comprehensiveness.  But individual satisfaction was negatively affected by team debates and differences between a member’s personal preferences and the team decision.  To maximize the satisfaction of individual team members: a) compose teams with people who see themselves as a good fit for that team, b) minimize lengthy and frequent debates. and c) reach decisions that solve the problem thoroughly. 

Reference

de la Torre-Ruiz, J. M., Ferrón-Vílchez, V., & Ortiz-de-Mandojana, N. (2014). Team Decision Making and Individual Satisfaction With the Team. Small Group Research45(2), 198–216.