8.4.2025
Introduction
Decision-making mistakes can quietly undermine even the most well-intentioned teams. Effective collaboration can lead to smarter decisions, stronger buy-in, and better results. But it doesn’t happen automatically. Teams often fall into the same predictable traps – unclear goals, poor communication, rushed thinking, or the wrong people in the room.
To help you spot these common decision-making mistakes, here’s a list of 100 errors teams make in collaborative decision making – grouped by theme for easier navigation and reflection.
Use it as a checklist, a conversation starter, or a mirror. The goal isn’t to be perfect – it’s to notice, learn, and improve together.
Read more: What Is Collaborative Decision Making
Purpose & Scope
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Not defining the decision clearly
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Starting without a clear goal
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No shared understanding of the problem
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Not checking for alignment
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No clear evaluation criteria
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Not thinking long-term
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Overfocusing on short-term gains
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Not considering end-user perspective
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Not making tradeoffs explicit
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Assuming shared context
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Assuming alignment
People & Participation
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Inviting too many people
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Inviting too few people
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Including the wrong people
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Not including key stakeholders
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Letting dominant voices take over
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Not giving quieter voices space
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Allowing hierarchy to override insight
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Letting one person dominate the process
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Creating fear around speaking up
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Letting politics guide decisions
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Rewarding agreement instead of insight
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Making it personal
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Not respecting different thinking styles
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Ignoring diversity of thought
Structure & Process
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Not setting a time limit
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Ignoring deadlines
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Relying only on consensus
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Avoiding conflict at all costs
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Not handling conflict constructively
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Failing to define decision-making authority
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Mixing up discussion and decision phases
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No one responsible for follow-up
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Lack of facilitation
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Too many parallel discussions
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Letting side topics hijack the meeting
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Rushing to decide
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Procrastinating too long
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Letting urgency override importance
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Not using structured methods
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Overcomplicating the process
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Oversimplifying complex issues
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Not stress-testing decisions
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Confusing brainstorming with decision-making
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Not breaking big decisions into parts
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Confusing consensus with unanimity
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Not clarifying roles in decision-making
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Not adapting the process to the team
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Assuming one size fits all
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Copying others blindly
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Avoiding accountability
Communication & Clarity
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Not documenting decisions
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Forgetting to summarize regularly
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Not clarifying next steps
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Assuming silence = agreement
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Not communicating decisions clearly
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Not communicating the why behind decisions
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Not listening
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Not asking questions
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Not checking understanding
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Not noticing misalignment
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Not noticing disengagement
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Not closing the loop
Information & Thinking Quality
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Not testing assumptions
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Basing decisions on opinions, not data
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Cherry-picking data
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Ignoring dissent
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Not prioritizing options
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Too many options on the table
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Only presenting one option
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Letting groupthink take over
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Ignoring previous learnings
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Not identifying risks
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Trying to be 100% certain
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Overestimating the cost of failure
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Underestimating the cost of delay
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Not celebrating good decisions
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Penalizing honest mistakes
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Getting stuck in analysis paralysis
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Ignoring intuition entirely
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Trusting intuition too blindly
Tools & Methods
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Overcomplicating tools and tech
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Not using tools when needed
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Not using structured methods
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Forgetting that decision-making is a skill
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Not training the team in it
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Thinking you’re already good at it
Reflection & Learning
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Over-relying on past decisions
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Not revisiting or adjusting old decisions
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Blaming people instead of the process
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Ignoring emotional dynamics
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Letting boredom creep in
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Not reviewing outcomes
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No feedback on decisions
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Not learning from bad calls
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Not giving space to reflect
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Making it all about speed
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Making it all about consensus
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Thinking only about efficiency
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Not thinking about quality
Make Better Team Decisions – Together
Try Noni, the real-time collaborative tool that helps your team create options, vote, and choose with clarity. Simple, fast, and built for modern teams.
