EFFECTIVE Decision Making

Presented by John Horak Region 18

Contents

IntroductionWhat is Decision MakingSteps to making DecisionKnow your mindThree Families of ability

Thinking

ConceptImaginative thinking

Integrity & valuing

Intuition

Using your depth mind

Options

Arguing

Creativity

Effective decisionBarriers to effective decisionSummary

What are things you

consider when making a decision?

StrengthsOpportunities

Threats

Weaknesses

IntroductionThe mental movements which leads to decisions:

In a word

THINKING

Deciding implies choice from several- or many- possibilities. Thinking is the preliminary work of weighing up the pros and cons for each course of action.

A decisive person is one who has the power to stop thinking and start acting.

Effective Decision Making: Management context

1976 a questionnaire was sent to 200 business leaders.

Ques: What is the most valuable attributes at the top level management?

Ans: “ability to take decision”

What is Decision Making?

• Decision making is the cognitive process leading to the selection of a course of action among alternatives.

• It begins when we need to do something but we do not know what.

Examples:

Shopping, deciding what to eat, What to wear, when to sleep, etc..

Five points plan for decision making

Define Objectives

Collect information

Develop options

Evaluate and decide

Implement

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4

5

• Specifying aim & objectives• Having recognized the need for a

decision

Define Objectives

Collect information

• Collecting & Organizing data• Checking facts & opinions• Identifying possible causes• Establishing time constraints &

other criteria

Develop options

• Listing possible courses of action• Generating ideas

• Listing pros and cons• Examining the consequences• Measuring against criteria• Trials• Testing against objective• Selecting the best

Evaluate and decide

Implement

• Acting to carry out the decision• Monitoring the decision• Reviewing

A decision making model

Sense Effects

Define Objectives

Collect Information

MonitorConsequences

Implement

Evaluate& Decide

Develop Options

Sensing effects means having the awareness which picks up the signs and symptoms of existing problem.

For a good ANALYTICAL mind

• Ask questions yourself.• Remember the magic words:

Who?Which?Why?Why not?WhenWhere?How?

Intuition

6th sense

“I just know”

• Power or faculty of immediately apprehending that something in the case.

• Apparently it is done without intervention of any reasoning process.

• No deductive or inductive step by step reasoning.• No conscious analysis of the situation.• No employment of the imagination.• Just a quick and ready insight.

Intuition

Trusting Your Intuition

There is no logical way to discovery of these elemental laws. There is only the way of intuition, which is helped by a feeling for the order lying behind the appearance.

----Einstein

Researchers commented Einstein have been intuitive in his works.

Emotion & Intuition

• Emotion and intuition have their sources close together in the hinterland of the brain.

• The negative emotions of fear and anxiety can express themselves in intuition.

• Ex: a nervous passenger may have intuition that his flight to Coxes-bazar will crash and he transfer to another one.

Emotion & Intuition

• A positive emotion can also lead to wishful intuition.

• Ex: A man or woman in love have intuition about the character of the adored lover which turn out to be groundless.

• The success rate of this type of anxiety intuition or love intuition is remarkably low.

• Before intuitive- be sure you are a physically and emotionally fit.

• Mountaineers are aware that decision taken in a state of exhaustion drop dramatically in quality.

Emotion & Intuition

If you are tired, best to think logically what to do- and not to rely upon your intuition.

Things to Remember

Pre-occupation or false assumptionis not intuition

Using Your Depth Mind

Unconscious mind

Preconscious mind

Conscious mind

Subc

onsc

ious

m

ind

Options

• Possibilities are not options.• Decision making needs- collecting, assessing, and

choosing from a set of options.• Enemy of good options- false assumptions about

resources and limitations.• Apply creative thinking• Calculated risk and assessment of probabilities.

Developing Options for Decision Making

A

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Possibilities

Feasible options Situation after- 3,4, 5 &

7 have been eliminatedThe essential issue,

the either or choiceChoiceDecision

Action/Implementation

Arguing

• Argument is the debate of high quality upon the reasons for and against the various courses of action.

• The application of argumentative thinking depends upon situation, matter under consideration and temperament of the good manager.

• Wish to here other points of view- because person may be partly perfect or fully convinced.

What is effective decision

• Effective decision is not necessarily a perfect decision ( if such a thing exists?)

• It should be the best decision after considering all.• It does not effective in the sense of intention-

effective in the sense of outcome.

Check list For an effective decision maker

• Have I defined the objectives? • Do I have sufficient information? • What are the feasible options? • Have I evaluate them correctly? • Does this decision feel right now and

I have begun to implement it?

What is an Effective Thinker

• Skill of analyzing, synthesizing, valuing • Committed to think it through• Knows when and how use the depth mind• Receptive to intuition• Imaginative • Open to new ideas• Able to link his mind with others in the

search for truth.

Making an inventory of your skills

Know thyself

“Successful leaders have the courage to take action while others hesitate.”

- John C. Maxwell

Barriers to Effective Decision Making

• Hasty - Making quick decisions without having much thought.

• Narrow - Decision making is based on very limited information.

• Scattered - Our thoughts in making decisions are disconnected or disorganized.

• Fuzzy - The lack of clarity on important aspects of a decision causes us to overlook certain important considerations.

• Craving for unanimous approval• Trying to make decisions which are outside your

realm of authority.• Not following the 5 steps plan.• No imagination- full of mechanical thinking• Only imagination- no scientific approach• Not fit physically or mentally

Barriers to Effective Decision Making

SummaryWhat is Decision Making

Cognitive process leading to the selection of a course of action among alternatives.

Five points plan for Decision making

ObjectiveCollect informationDevelop OptionsEvaluate & DecideImplementation

Know your mind Sharpening the thinking tools

Three Families of ability

AnalyzersSynthesizersValuers

Summary contd.

Thinking Thinking & emotionsAnalytical mindHolistic approachGestalt laws

Concept Artificial conceptIntegrating concept

Imaginative thinking

Thinking without imaginationImagination without thinkingDevelop Imaginative thinking

Integrity & valuing

Always assume that truth exists Discover the truth- rather to invent it.

Summary contd.

Intuition Trusting your intuitionEmotion & intuitionPre-occupation is not intuition

Using your depth mind

Conscious mindPre-conscious mindUnconscious mind

Options Developing options

Arguing ArguingWrong way to arguing

Creativity Need for creativity

Effective decision Effective decision is not perfect decision always

Barriers to effective decision

Hasty, Narrow, Scattered, Fuzzy

Some works of John Adair