Title: RAPID Decision-Making: What It Is, Why We Like It, and How to Get the Most Out of It | Bridgespan
Headings: RAPID Decision-Making: What It Is, Why We Like It, and How to Get the Most Out of It
RAPID Decision-Making: What It Is, Why We Like It, and How to Get the Most Out of It
Featured Organization
Summary
The Benefits of RAPID
Side Effects and Trade-offs
RAPID In Practice: Aspire Public Schools
Is This the Right Time and Place for Your Organization to Use RAPID?
Getting the Most Out of RAPID
Greater Value Over Time
Appendix: RAPID Essentials
Sources Used for This Article

Content: Twelve busy staff members spend multiple hours discussing a fairly minor issue—whether the organization should hire a summer intern—but no one is clear who has the final say, and every meeting ends without a decision. Several organizations are working together to support a single initiative, but none of the partners fully understand where their responsibilities begin and end. When they disagree, who gets to decide? Do any of these situations resonate? If so, you are far from alone. Decision making can be difficult for reasons ranging from vague reporting structures to the complexities that naturally arise when an organization is growing and more people have seats at the leadership table. The result is often wasted time, confusion, and frustration. Individually, everyone’s intentions are good, yet the whole performs poorly. And in the worst cases, decision-making difficulties can create a climate of mistrust, and even undermine an organization’s mission. What can be done?