In a sane working environment, everyone seeks consense whenever decisions are to be taken, whether on minor or important matters. It is desirable for everyone involved to feel ok with the future plans, as it really helps not only for people’s morale, but also for getting things done.
Humans tend to be good at what they do if they do something they like. There are however cases when correct decisions can only be taken on – if you will – scientific grounds rather than their popularity. Consider, for example, the architectural redesign of a pretty large software application, which had evolved year to year into something difficult to debug, develop, or even understand. You will most probably organize technical meetings with the right people (not too many!), in order to figure out a solution. In those meetings, there is a significant possibility of rather different views to take shape. In such times, the handy approach would be to select the solution by voting, but it would be much preferable to do it by weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.
It may not please some for the moment, but in the long run, everyone will be happy to benefit from a wise, however not popular, decision.
