Читать книгу Judgment Calls - Thomas H. Davenport - Страница 28

Burrill doesn't only use the group consultation approach on design decisions. He tries to employ it on any topic on which others might have good insights. For example, a recent consultative decision involved setting a price for the resale of a condominium that WGB had built in the 1980s. Both Burrill's mother and his daughter Vanessa had lived in it at various times, and now it was on the market. An offer from a potential buyer had come in, but it was substantially below the asking price. Should Burrill accept, reject, or counter the offer?

Burrill had his own feelings about the offer, but he knew that others in the business were knowledgeable about the condo. Vanessa had both lived there and met the potential buyer. Joe, who handled sales at one point for WGB, had sold many of the condos when they were built. So Burrill convened a meeting with his daughters and Joe.

Burrill's consultation with his informal advisory panel revealed some differences of opinion. Vanessa and Erica wanted to keep the price high and reject the offer. Joe was inclined to sell it at the offering price. Greg Burrill was inclined to compromise a bit. “Maybe when we tell them about the improvements we've put in the unit, they'd be inclined to go a bit higher. We've put in new windows, new granite countertops, and new appliances. Let's invite them over to the unit and try to get them to raise their offer a bit.”

Burrill had listened to the opinions of his colleague and daughters, but knew the final decision was his own. “Vanessa lived there and really loved it, so she may be a little sentimental about it. She and Erica, being in marketing and sales, want to make sure that the prices stay up at the complex. I understand that. But I don't want to have it stay on the market for six months.”

There was certainly no rancor in the decision process. After Greg Burrill announced his intention to negotiate with the potential buyers in an e-mail to the consulted parties, the conciliatory response was rapid. Vanessa Burrill called her father a few minutes later, saying, “Dad, here's some text you might want to use in the e-mail to the buyers.”