Decision Making Styles

Decision Making StylesDanee McGee P.E., C.F.M.Certified Chaplain

Timeline and TopicsInt

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Summary

Introduction

Every Day We Make Decisions: Personal and Professional

Would you like some tools to help you determine how your personality affects your Personal and Professional Decisions?

Course Objectives#1 Explain the Decision Making Process

* Identify Decision Points* Differences Between Problem Solving &Decision Making

#2 Determine Your Individual Decision Making Style*Understand Personality Type*Meyers Briggs Type II Personality Test*Learn the Different Styles*Know Your Own Style

#3 Explanation of How Decision Making Styles Can Make You Either More or Less Effective

*Positives and Negatives of Each Style*DEFINE A GOOD DECISION MAKER

Handout #1: What are your Personal Learning Goals?

HAND OUT #1Purpose and Instructions: Based upon the introduction of the course content , develop personal goals for this course which outline abilities or information which you would like to have by the end of the course. These goals will help guide you through the course content and will provide a way for you to assess your personal progress throughout the course. Assess the decision making skills which you currently possess and skills which you think may be lacking to be an effective decision maker. Think of examples of experiences which you have had where decisions were made that had either a positive or negative effect on a certain situation and skills or knowledge which you would have like to have had to increase the potential of a positive outcome.

Examples: I would like to understand why my decisions are more focused on people rather than situations OR I would like to understand why I don’t always think through possible consequences ORI would like to make decisions which have a more desired outcome.

Module #1“Decision Making Process”

Overview

Question: Who is responsible for making decisions around you? At home? At Work?

Question: What circumstances might trigger the need for making a decision?


Task #1: Read the following case study and identify decision points.

Task #2: Answer the Questions

Handout #2: Case Study: Decision Points

HAND OUT #2CASE STUDY of DECISION POINTS: You wake up in the morning and have one hour to get dressed for work and get the kids to school. Your oldest child tells you that he/she has a sore throat and you notice this child feels warm and may be running a fever. You go to the kitchen to fix breakfast, you feel your youngest child’s forehead and it is warm. Your youngest child says he/she feels fine but you know this child has a school field trip today and has been looking forward to this trip. Your spouse has to leave early and cannot take the oldest child to the doctor due to a meeting with the company president. You have meetings throughout the day which you do not want to cancel. You contact your boss.

Questions: Which Decision Points did you Identify in the case study? What decisions were made based upon available information and What decisions needed more information?Who made the decisions? Which decisions were set by circumstances? What impacts did these decisions have on others? How were others notified of the decisions?

HAND OUT #2CASE STUDY of DECISION POINTS: 1. You wake up in the morning (getting out of bed on time)2.have one hour to get dressed for work (what to wear?)3.get the kids to school (How to get the kids to school-bus or drive?). 4.Your oldest child tells you that he/she has a sore throat and5.you notice this child feels warm and may be running a fever.(Decide to listen and act) 6.You go to the kitchen to fix breakfast (what to eat?)7. you feel your youngest child’s forehead and it is warm.(Decide to act) 8.Your youngest child says he/she feels fine but you know this child has a school field trip today and has been looking forward to this trip. (Decide to listen/decide to believe what you hear or disbelieve what you hear)9. Your spouse has to leave early and cannot take the oldest child to the doctor due to a meeting with the company president. (Decide a course of action due to circumstances beyond your control)10. You have meetings throughout the day which you do not want to cancel. (Decide you have responsibilities and prioritize)11. You contact your boss. (Decide a course of action)

HAND OUT #2CASE STUDY of DECISION POINTS: You decide to make a cake. How do you make a cake?Exercise: Draw the process for making a cake.

Questions: Who focused on the oven? Who focused on the cake? Who focused on the person eating the cake? Who focused on the supply chain- the eggs, flour, oil, pan, etc.?Who went back to the big bang and explained the chickens laying eggs and the cows giving milk?

*Humans intuitively know how to break down complex things and bring them back together for clarity and explanation.

*The more you refine the model the more clarity comes and the more that patterns emerge.


Question: Has anyone ever heard of a decision making model?

Question: If so, has it helped you with a decision?

Handout #3: Information: Decision Making Model


I. Evaluate the Situation II. Explore Alternatives

IV. Implement the Solution III. Select an Alternative

Decision Making Model


I. NODE Link II. NODE

LinkIV. NODE III. NODE

*Nodes are something that is tangible*Links are the space in the process that ties everything together*Complexity of the model means a larger number of nodes, most models lose people’s attention if more complex than 5-8 nodes, unlesspeople are involved in the process

Decision Making Model


II. Evaluate the SituationWhat is the situation or Condition that is undesirable? What are the parameters? Is this situation fluid or static? Who is involved? What are the stakes? What resources are required?

III. Explore AlternativesHow do you generate alternatives?: Brainstorming, Surveys, Discussion GroupsDevelop an Action Plan: Who will do this? How will it be done?How do you evaluate alternatives?: Constraints (Technical/Political/Economical/Social/Resources/Time)Appropriateness, Adequacy, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Side Effects

IV. Select an AlternativeWhat is your selection criteria?: Political, Safety, Financial, Environmental, Ethical/Moral, Power to implement changeIs this solution going to work in a measureable way?: How do you measure success?

IV. Implement the SolutionWhat is your Action Plan? Have any of the variables utilized in the decision making process changed? Are more resources required?


Outcome: Identified Decision Making Points and Circumstances that Might Trigger the Need to Make a Decision.

Outcome: Learned how a Decision Making Model Works

*Summary*

Timeline and Topics

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Module #2“Decision Making Styles”

Question: Have you ever thought about what your decision making style might be?

Question: How do you think your personality might affect your decision making?

*Overview*


Question: Have you ever taken a personality test?

Question: What did you learn about yourself that you did not know? Do you perceive yourself differently than others may see you?

Handout #4: Personality Test: Myers Briggs Type II

Test

Sensing Intuition Thinking Feeling


Step 1: Using Type Inventories to Determine Preferences

Step 2: Utilizing Decision Making Styles

Step 3: Effective Decision Making Attributes

Handout #5: Information: Decision Making Styles



Step 1: Using Type Inventories to Determine PreferencesPsychological Type- is a personality pattern based on observations of people’s behavior.

Taking In and Organizing Information (drawing conclusions) are the two main mental processes that each personality type exhibits. Everyone has a preferred personality type based upon the Four Functions of Taking In and Organizing

Taking in Information: Sensing: Bias toward stability. Decisions have to make sense based upon past experienceIntuition: Bias toward innovation. Decisions should creatively make use of new opportunities and insights.

Organizing Information:Thinking: Bias toward effectiveness. Decisions must be objective and logical.Feeling: Bias toward integrity. Decisions should consider people’s values and needs.



Step 1: Using Type Inventories to Determine PreferencesTaking in Information: Sensing: Bias toward stability. Decisions have to make sense based upon past experienceIntuition: Bias toward innovation. Decisions should creatively make use of new opportunities and insights.Organizing Information:Thinking: Bias toward effectiveness. Decisions must be objective and logical.Feeling: Bias toward integrity. Decisions should consider people’s values and needs.Additional Factors of each Psychological Type:Judging vs. Perceiving: How you are oriented to the external world.Extroversion vs. Introversion: Where energy is derived and focusedWhen we rely on our dominant type we tend to “miss things” and make “poorer decisions”. This can be alleviated by FLEXING (asking yourself the questions of the other three preferred personality types) as well as the questions which naturally occur for your type.



QUESTIONS OF EACH TYPE:Sensing: What are the facts, costs, benefits?Intuition: What are the patterns and possible interpretations?Thinking: What are the pros and cons, causes and effects?Feeling: How does this effect those involved?

Step 2: Utilizing Decision Making StylesIndividual: Leader makes the decision aloneConsultation: Leader shares the issue with one or more people to receive

additional feedback/input/viewpointsGroups: Leader and others work together to reach a consensusDelegation: Leader sets parameters and allows others to decide



Step 3: Effective Decision Making AttributesKnowledge: Know all of the factors “Be Informed”Initiative: Assume responsibility “See it through”Advice-Seeking: Identify People who can make “Specific/Skilled Contributions”Selectivity: Don’t get bogged down in “Extraneous Facts/Figures”Comprehensiveness: Look at all options to “Make the Best Choice”Currency: Consider “Current Conditions and Time Frame” opportunitiesFlexibility: Remain “Open Minded” to new “Concepts/Ideas”Good Judgement: Don’t just follow “Procedure” consider Specific Situational FactorsCalculated Risk Taking: Know the “Positives” and “Negatives”Self-Knowledge: Know your own “Abilities, Biases and Limitations”


Question: Was anyone surprised by their decision making style?

Outcome: Determined our individual decision making styles. Determined the key components missing in our decision making process due to our decision making style.

*Summary*


Timeline and Topics

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Module #3“Effects of Your Decision Making Style”

Overview

Question: Have you observed the effects of a particular decision making style in a specific situation? What are some positives and negatives of each style?

Strengths of Your StyleWeaknesses of your style

Attributes You Can Practice to make better decisions

Handout #6: Exercise: Discussion of


Looking for Volunteers

Read the Following Scenario and Act Out the Situation Described

Question: What are the requirements for being a good decision maker?

Handout #7: Exercise: Role Play



Scenario: A new policy has the potential of being put into effect that will allow your teams meeting space to be utilized by all employees in your building.Co-Worker #1 (A Thinker and A Feeler): You are a “detail oriented” person. You have not had adequate time to assess all potential impacts of this decision. For example: will this make some people uncomfortable, will some people not have this meeting space when needed, will this policy take more time out of the workday. You may feel somewhat uneasy about helping to set a policy that does not have all facts and figures at hand and which might make some people uncomfortable.Co-Worker #2 ( An Intuitive Sensor): You are a logical person and don’t think that this decision accommodates everyone’s needs. You think that a decision should consider the value of some employees needs above the needs of others.Supervisory Role: Is this an Individual, Consultation, Group or Delegated Decision?

Handout #7:

Course Summary

Decision Making ProcessDecision PointsProblem Solving Model

Decision Making StylePersonality TestDefinitions of Style Types

Effects of Your Decision Making StylePositivesNegatives

Documents

Decision Making Styles