Decision Making in Business “Decision making is a process of first diverging to explore the possibilities and then converging on a solution(s). The Latin root of the word decision means "to cut off from all alternatives". This is what you should do when you decide.” (Kotelnikov, 2008). In fact, the decision making process helps reduce doubt and uncertainty about alternative choices to allow individual to choose the best reasonable choice. In addition, the decision making process can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful organization. Consequently, management tries to use the best techniques and tools possible to make the best decision. Nowadays, most organizations seem to think that they have the most effective and efficient decision making process. So what are the different styles of decision making processes have organizations implemented? In order to answer this question, the team members will investigate and observe the decision-making processes most prevalent in their organization. As a result, these papers will first compare and contrast the problem identification and formulation styles in the team members’ organizations. Then the most favorable aspects of each style will be discussed to describe a process by which a problem can be identified and described to stakeholders in a manner that is sensitive to their perspective. Decision Making Examples The author’s of this paper spent a few days observing the various decision making processes used in their work environments. Each observed that no single decision making process is the only process used in his or her place of work. While there was a vast amount of different decision making processes used, it appears that data gathering is used by each place of employment. Employers also used surveying and another technique designed to build individual support. Dione’s employer uses various charts and tables to gather date prior to making decisions. These charts are used to track the progress of individuals and teams, progress is monitored and changes can be made based on the information gathered. Natacha’s employer has an organized plan of correctly identifying the problem, then gathering data and following up with meetings to ensure proper action is taken. Janelle’s employer uses surveys to gather information. Surveying is done at two important key times, once in the beginning of a change and then again a little later. This allows managers to assess the positive and negative of the situation and check for improvement. Stephanie’s employer uses a process of meeting with certain individual’s to get acceptance of the idea.
Delegating leadership responsibilities to in-groups poses a challenge of building a strong structure with a clear understanding of procedure. On the other side, if the leader cuts followers out of the decision making process, the newly formed relationships will suffer. The Normative Decision Model offers a recommendation for the ways leaders “adjust their decision style depending on the degree to which the quality of the decision is important and the likelihood that employees will accept the decision (Nahavandi, 2015).” An easy first step for leaders is to understand how many people will be effected by the decision (Nahavandi, 2015). Does it only concern an individual or is the whole group going to be impacted? Using the decision tree on page 76 of Nahavandi’s The Art and Science of Leadership (2015), leaders can effectively identify the appropriate decision style needed. A leader must adopt an autocratic style when the quality of the decision is not significant, when employees disagree, and when the employees don’t see eye to eye with the organizations goals (Nahavandi, 2015). While a consultative style is necessary when the employees will hold the responsibility of implementation; especially when employees agree with the overall goals of the organization (Nahavandi, 2015). Finally, “group oriented decision style should be used when the leader does not have all the information, and
Decision making is a task which needs utmost balance on the part of the leader. One sided decisions when team input is necessary or resources going into a lot of group decision making process when the decision itself is not so crucial can turn out to be big result influencing part of the outcomes of a leadership experience. Leadership demands a lot of adaptability where the style of leadership to be followed, a complete leader driven or group driven is to chosen based on the type of decision to be taken and the situation in which the decision is to be taken.
In order to address the above components, five decision making steps have to be put in place, these are; being attentive, being intelligent, being reasonable, being responsible, and being reflective. The first step, being attentive, involves evaluating the whole situation and coming up with the data and information about the problem at hand. In so doing the following questions are viewed; what facts to bear in mind, what direction to take so as to get the expected solution, and what is the main issue to work on. In the second step, being intelligent, the information is clearly studied to determine whether the collected data is revealing the correct details concerning the problem. Determine the stakeholde...
Critical thinking and decision-making are related in more ways than people think. This paper will define critical thinking and decision-making according to the book Whatever It Takes. It will also present a personal definition of critical thinking and decision-making from the author of this paper. The relationship between the two will be explained as well as the benefits of being a critical thinker. The author of this paper will also show how critical thinking is present in his organization and how he implements critical thinking techniques on a daily basis.
Change usually comes with resistance in any workplace because change disrupts the employees’ sense of safety and control (Lewis, 2012). Kurt Lewin (1951) created a three step process for assisting employees with organizational Change (Lewis, 2012). The three stages are Unfreeze, Change and Refreeze. These are the steps to a smooth transition for change within organizations. Further, these steps are not possible without good communication from upper Management through line staff. Communication was consistently listed as an issue in surveys conducted by the department.
Change affects more than just a program or a process within an organization, change affects employees, collecting data on employee’s readiness and willingness to accept a change will help leaders know if the organization is socially ready for change (Cole, Harris, and Bernerth, 2006). A change might be positive for an organization but if the employees who will be affect by the change are lost in the process then it could create a greater issue than not making the change. Leadership needs to communicate and inspire the employees to be positive toward the change, seeking to enhance their job satisfaction not make changes that will increase their desire to leave. This data is best collected early in the change initiative allowing leadership to properly cast the vision while addressing concerns. This requires leadership to create platforms for employees to engage in the change initiative freely (Ford, 2006). Employee attitudes can be measured through these dialogues providing leadership with necessary measureable data (Hughes, 2007).
“What You Don’t Know About Making Decisions” by David A. Garvin and Michael A. Roberto explores the ways successful leaders can design an effective decision-making process, and the areas one needs to avoid. Some areas that are mention are how leaders should focus on maintaining an Inquiry style decision process, and avoid an Advocacy style decision process. They explore how constructive conflict is desired if its cognitive conflict which allows people to openly express their differences which allows everyone to introduce new ideas. Affective conflict is to be desired, as it is emotional based and cause problems amongst teams. Garvin and Roberto talk about how leaders need to show they were listening to the discussion, and once a final choice is made, leaders need to show logic as to why the decision was made. Garvin and Roberto discuss closure within deliberations, and they talk about a Litmus Test. Throughout the paper Garvin and Roberto discuss many do’s and don’ts about decision making and ways leaders can be successful in running a team.
In dealing with most complex problems in today’s work environment, there may be more than one good answer to a problem. The question then becomes one of picking the best answer; this is called decision-making. Weighing the consequences of th...
Change in an organization occurs when an organization identifies an area of where necessary change must be undertaken, examines it thoroughly and adapts to it. This may lead to gaps where employees may not adapt to a certain change and therefore it is important that an organization takes into considerati...
Managers should be ready to teach the importance of decision-making skills and reinforcing organizational policy. Avoiding hasty, careless decisions, which can have devastating results on the manager's unit or the entire organization. Decisions made with forethought, using the many managerial tools available will lead to better and more profitable operatio...
Group decision making has many benefits for the individuals involved and the organization itself. In order for group decision making to be efficient, it is important for a creative environment to exist. “Creativity is the mental and social process used to generate ideas, concepts and associations that lead to the exploration of new ideas (May, 2011, para.3). This allows each employee to explore ideas and feel comfortable to share them without fear of rejection.
Working in groups is challenging at times. Other times it is very rewarding. We are so focused on life that we do not take time to reflect on things as much as we should. Being in a Groups class has opened my eyes to a whole new world. I have begun to question, explore, and even understand how things work. I even get how they work sometimes. Not only is there a process involved in making individual decisions, process is involved in group decisions as well. This paper attempts give insight into my reflection of my group decision process.
A decision is a solution chosen from among alternatives. Decisions must be made when a person is faced with a problem or an issue that needs resolution. Decision-making is the process of selecting a course of action (ideas or alternatives) that will solve a problem and resolve any issues. Decision-making models provide people with a method for making decisions. There are numerous decision-making methods people utilize today. Some are meant to be all encompassing, meaning they can be utilized in many different environments. Others are specific to issues or industries, such as technology, psychology, and mathematics. Regardless of the problem, there is usually a decision-making process that is best suited for any situation, and it is up to us to find it.
Making decisions is an important part of our everyday life. Decisions define actions and lead to the achievement of goals. However, these depend on the effectiveness of the decision-making process. An effective decision is free from biases, uncertainties, and is deeply dependent on information and critical thinking. Poor decisions lead to the inability to achieve set objectives and could lead to losses, if finance is a factor. Therefore, it is important to contemplate about quality and ways to achieve it in decision-making, which is the focus of this paper. The purpose is to look into the needs of decision-making, including what one should do and what one should not do.
Rational decision making is one of the most common problem solving methods and can be used to solve almost all problems. Rational decision making and problem solving processes can be explained in a logical manner. Effective leaders use rational decision making processes to identify the problem, think up solutions, evaluate alternatives along with select a solution, implement and evaluate the final solution. In rational decision making leaders analyze the problem to achieve the most efficient choice through different possible alternatives from different scenarios before making a selection.