In a nutshell, the purpose of fair process is to create space for authentic, equitable, and inclusive engagement and build clarity about decisions, resulting in stronger relationships, smoother implementation, and better overall outcomes. Practicing fair process means being clear about who the decision-maker<\/strong> is, inviting input<\/strong> from those who will be impacted (and being explicit about how it will be used), explaining<\/strong> the decision, and outlining expectations<\/strong> once a decision has been made. While it is especially helpful for bigger or trickier decisions, the elements of fair process provide helpful guideposts for all decisions no matter their size or scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you initiate fair process, answer some key questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlock your ability to make effective decisions and drive impact <\/strong>by enrolling in our<\/em> Manage to Ambitious Outcomes<\/a> training package! Gain the confidence, strategies, and hands-on experience you need to develop results-driven goals, make better decisions, and advance your mission today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fair process has three mutually reinforcing elements: engagement, explanation, and expectation clarity. For decisions that are especially high-stakes or are recurring, you might also add a bonus E: evaluation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most of the advice in this article is geared towards processes where the decision-maker is also the person driving the process. If that\u2019s not the case, keep in mind the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Would you plan a dinner party without having any clue<\/em> what your guests like to eat? Even if you already have some menu items in mind, we assume you\u2019d at least ask about dietary restrictions. If you\u2019d check in before a simple dinner party, you\u2019d of course want to check in about decisions that have an impact on people\u2019s lives and livelihood. (Not to understate the importance of asking for dietary restrictions\u2014after all, some allergies are life-threatening!) While most decisions we make as managers are not a matter of life or death, they\u2019re usually far from inconsequential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fair process always starts with engagement, which can mean the difference between whether our team members feel considered, valued, and respected\u2014especially when it comes to decisions that impact them. For engagement to be meaningful, it needs to be empathetic and transparent\u2014people need to feel like their opinions were considered and that their perspective matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, getting input on decisions can be like cleaning your fridge. You know it\u2019s something you should<\/em> do, but you avoid it because it\u2019s time- and energy-intensive, or you\u2019re not sure where to begin, or you\u2019re afraid of what you\u2019ll find. Below are some tips that break down the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s rare to start a decision-making process with a blank slate\u2014usually, there are at least a few parameters or preferences. Yet we often see people entering the \u201cengagement\u201d phase without transparency about what\u2019s negotiable and what\u2019s not. Transparency builds trust and ensures that you make the best use of everyone\u2019s time. No one likes to spend energy sharing input that won\u2019t make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your starting point includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about what experience, expertise, or perspective each stakeholder brings to the decision and when each person should be involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider those who:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One common pitfall we see is leaders approaching fair process as a way to build consensus. This approach focuses on sharing talking points or asking leading questions to generate agreement rather than surfacing points of tension. But remember that the purpose of fair process isn\u2019t to make everyone happy or to arrive at a consensus\u2014it\u2019s to create space for authentic, equitable, and inclusive engagement and build clarity about decisions. Engagement helps leaders gather input to inform their decision-making. When you don\u2019t invite honesty, you won\u2019t get the information that you need when it\u2019ll be most helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Assume that disagreement will surface at some point\u2014whether or not it\u2019s invited. It\u2019s up to you to design the process so that you can get it early (when you can make choices or collaborate to mitigate concerns), rather than waiting for them to come up later when you\u2019ll have to defend your decision against those concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most effective way to get dissent early is to acknowledge differences upfront. For example, you could say, \u201cGiven our diversity of experiences, I don\u2019t expect everyone to have the same questions or concerns. In fact, we\u2019ll be better off if I hear where you have a different opinion.\u201d You can also name the parts that you think will be most contentious and ask about those directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever your mode, include questions that invite pushback and concerns. This is especially important if you\u2019re operating in a low-trust environment, if you\u2019re still building relationships with stakeholders, if your stakeholders are on the margins of your team, or if conflict avoidance is a feature of your organizational culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sample questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try this tool:<\/span> Encourage stakeholders to offer ideas and engage them in identifying benefits, drawbacks, and alternatives with our pros, cons, and mitigations tool<\/a>. This tool is especially useful when you\u2019re in joint, consult, or test mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For particularly tricky or big decision-making processes, engagement isn\u2019t just about the time that you spend gathering input (whether via survey, 1-1s, or group conversations)\u2014it\u2019s also about the time and efforts that you put into keeping people informed along the way. (For sample emails, check out our Fair Process Examples resource.<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you make a decision, explain how you got there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you share your decision, include the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more important or far-reaching a decision, the more ways you need to communicate about it. Think through all the opportunities you have (or should create) to share the decision, build awareness, and increase adoption\u2014from all-staff meetings, to internal email announcements, to 1-1s, to Ask Me Anything sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out our Fair Process Examples<\/a> for some sample email announcements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A critical part of generating buy-in and smoothing implementation is setting and aligning on expectations for moving forward. Many important organizational or team-wide decisions will have implications not just for how people do things (new practices, systems, or policies), but what success looks like. Make the implicit explicit and lay out what will be different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Revisit your role expectations<\/a> and goals<\/a> and make sure they reflect any changes to expectations that will be part of how your staff will be evaluated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clarity doesn\u2019t have to mean certainty. If there\u2019s anything you feel unclear about or that is still uncertain, share it. If you feel uncertain, those further from the decision-making process likely feel even more so. If you\u2019re not transparent about what you don\u2019t know, you risk people assuming that you\u2019re intentionally keeping information from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It might not always be practical or helpful to do a step-back after every decision. However, the bigger the decision or the more likely it will recur (e.g., in goal-setting or budgeting), the more important it is for the decision-maker and\/or process owner to reflect on it. Evaluate the outcome of your decision and the process you used to get there. Identify lessons learned to carry you into your next decision-making cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Tips & Tools for Executing the 3 E\u2019s of Fair Process (plus a bonus!)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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1. Engagement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Be honest about your starting point.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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![\"\u201cWhich](\"https:\/\/www.managementcenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Modes-with-title-web-quality-1024x553.jpg\")
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Identify the right stakeholders.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Get dissent early.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Keep people in the loop.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2. Explanation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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3. Expectation clarity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Update roles and goals as necessary.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Be honest about what you don\u2019t know.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Bonus: Evaluation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Debrief.<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n