Introducing Uni
Introducing Uni, a platform which actualizes inclusion by radically transforming how companies and teams make smart decisions.
We all make decisions, it is part of how people work together, yet a multitude of factors arise which derail smart decision making. From having a dominant voice in the room monopolizing the conversation to converging on whatever idea is at the tip of the chat thread, to pushing decisions off until the very last minute, the results can range from a minor setback to a potentially expensive wrong turn.
The act of decision making is often invisible and undefined. While every other part of the workday now has its own tool or app (or 20), the act of deciding ‘what to do’ has been overlooked.
We’ve spent the last few years deconstructing the decision making process and speaking with leaders across industries so that we could assemble the ideal and simple framework to help people and companies get to smarter decisions. It takes a thoughtful question, the right people, and setting a due date.
What we’ve seen is that by addressing the issues which plague decision making, we’ve actually created an opportunity for meaningful employee engagement. This creates an opportunity for the voices which may not get a seat at the table to be included in a constructive manner.
This is how it all comes together:
- Organize and focus the specific input you’re looking for by asking a question and giving it a deadline.
- Uni will reach out to your team across slack or email in a smart and respectful fashion to incite ideas, critique, and feedback, all aimed at building up a set of ideas for the decision maker to have by the due date.
- When it is time to decide, go into “decision-mode” and select the ideas you will include in your decision, provide a team update to communicate your reasoning, and most importantly export the decision to your favorite project manager — Trello, Asana or Slack (more coming soon)!
Taking the brunt of the decision making process asynchronously allows you to prevent groupthink, avoid converging on the latest or loudest voice, and actually make decisions at scale without the physical confines of a meeting room. This way precious time can be focused on doing rather than talking.
By framing the upcoming decisions as open questions, you afford the people you’re working with and who will be impacted by the decisions, an opportunity and outlet to voice their ideas, critique and support. You actualize inclusion. Through Uni you can create an environment that leads to organic and earnest opt-in, which in-turn results in a more cohesive and motivated team.
Uni began as an internal tool built at Cornell Tech to facilitate large scale ideation. It has since evolved into a fully featured decision making platform. It is built upon the years of experience and learnings from both industry and academia. Uni is also built by a group of people spanning expertise in product, art, and industry. We believe this matters and are committed to growing the team in a fashion that reflects our focus on diversity.
This is just the start, and more will follow as we open our beta to the world. If this sounds like something up your alley, you can get your team started on Uni right now!
In true Uni fashion, as you use the product, don’t hesitate to add to the following questions we are actively thinking about.
- Team Uni
