Team leaders tended to feel most empowered when they
had more prior training and NEPA experience, there was clear
communication with the decision maker, and the decision maker
prioritized the process. Team leader empowerment was also associated
with higher degrees of collaborative deliberation on the ID
team, lower levels of team disagreement, greater achievement of
best science, and greater commitment to public involvement. More
positive opinions of the science employed in processes were also
associated with more collaborative deliberation on the ID team and
an empowering leadership style of the team leader. Team
disagreement was associated with higher degrees of upward and
inward accountabilities and a lack of clear communication by the
decision maker. In general, outward accountability was positively
associated with positive predictors of outcomes, while upward
accountability was typically negatively associated. The implications
of these relationships are discussed below.