The Driving Forces and Constraints of Decision-Making Process - Term Paper Example

Decision Making Decision making is vital to an organization to an extent that any sub standard decision has the potentialof grounding an organization to a state of bankruptcy. This paper is to provide an explanation and an overview of leader’s decision making process as an art, and science stating the trends and attitudes common in decision making processes. Additionally, the paper also discusses the effects of emotions on decision making and provides a suggestion of decision making strategies, which teams and team leaders need to develop to survive, in this fast changing work environment. Decision Making There is a widespread belief that Leader’s decision making process is an art and a science based on things like stage of the decision making process, the circumstances under which a choice is made, level of complexity of the involved decision and whether a team is rationalizing or deciding decisions that have been previously made. As per Kamal Gupta’s view, decisions pertaining to personal or individual matters seem more of an art whereas the work related decisions have more of a science. Another author, Frances Pratt, did comment that it is usually the art, which leads people into imagining that a decision is a controlled scientific choice (Heskett, 2010). Quite often, we apply art in justifying choice that fail to meet our initial expectations. Other authors maintain that choice is neither an art nor a science. For instance, Laurence McKinney states "We ultimately base our decisions on feelings and emotions, aided by such things as quality of memory and the amount of information one can access through ‘hookup density’ in the brain” (Heskett, 2010). On the other hand, Tom Dolemba comments that decisions are made based on spirits with a claim that science brings about anonymity whereas art brings about denial and further states that it is the soul that delivers a real decision (Heskett, 2010). Every organization should consider it disastrous to depend on luck as far as decision making is concerned. Every business has risks; therefore, the management is obliged to develop a scientific approach. Management related activities are undertaken through problem identification or setting goals, stating the alternative solutions, selecting one of the alternatives, implementation of the chosen idea followed by continued evaluation (Bruce, 2012). For this reason, the techniques of decision making have a scientific basis and can be taught to individuals, but the choice during decision making is based on judgment in art and this cannot be taught. The principle of management applicable in decision making entails some fundamental statements of facts or ideas concerning management, which have been put under test and found to be viable and so, could be generalized in real life situations. It is helpful in guiding every management practitioner to divert the fast changing force filed in organizational contexts. Of these principles, there were those focused on organizing function whereas others were focused on controlling and directing the different management roles (Bruce, 2012). Data Collection and Time Constraints of Decision Making Process There is continued growth in use of Web-based services that support time-critical decision making like e-negotiation and e-auction. The problem on time constraints is to evaluate the value of the entire duration or time cost of the whole decision making process. Research has found out the influence of time with a focus on information completeness, awareness and decision making patterns (McStravick, 2013). The amount of time available during a decision making process has an effect on quality and scope of information needed in making a good decision. Mobile devices, big data analytics and social media data are the key trends in a leader’s decision making processes. The information systems have actually taken over many of the daily decision procedures, information needed by the decision making process together with search and retrieval techniques (McStravick, 2013). Moreover, their endless improvement increases chances of previously human centered operations being taken over by various computing devices. . In spite of the trends being exciting, they pose a set of challenges and their incorporation into a decision making process can disrupt the implementers, architectures and the decision makers themselves. Some of the challenges still facing decision makers are poor data quality, inadequate access to data and lack of analysis skills (McStravick, 2013). Poor data quality is a limiting factor to the stakeholders because it limits the use of data for the evidence-based decisions and can negatively impact on strategic planning activities plus their efforts in advocating for resources (Heskett, 2010). Moreover, Incomplete or inaccurate data coupled with delayed reporting reduces demand for data and a stakeholder who witnesses poor data quality has lower possibilities of seeking for the same at some later date. In the event that decision makers remain inaccessible to full data sets and summary reports, data-informed decision making will be limited, and support for trend and output generation plus monitoring can become hectic. Data stored in computerized systems has a higher level of accuracy compared to the traditional means of storage. However, the accuracy can be best realized only when the involved team has basics of M&E because this affects ability of the team to use data in decision making. Furthermore, the ability to interpret top organization information and use it in the policy and programmatic environment requires a skill set that is never addressed or taught in pre- or post-service training of leaders. Role of Emotions in Decision Making Emotionality has for long been portrayed as the reverse of rationality especially in the managerial context. However, there are several studies that have revealed that the bias-inducing effects of feelings can disappear provided leaders can attribute their current feelings to the appropriate causes. Emotional responses in many situations are irrational and use the sense of feeling that the choice being made is undeniable and correct. Additionally, it provides a sense of conviction on a decision but with the danger that a conviction within an individual’s mind has the potential of dismissing facts overriding every rational thought. Often times, people make decisions based on emotions, but those emotions mostly have no relationship with the decision they make. This is in accordance to Cote’s statement that, “Research has shown we fall prey to this all the time” (McStravick, 2013), and he further states, “People who are emotionally intelligent don’t remove all emotions from their decision-making, but they only remove emotions that have nothing to do with the decision” (McStravick, 2013). However, emotional intelligence is never fixed because a person can recognize a weakness in a decision then avoid repeating that in the future and make a more rational decision instead. To survive and be able to cope with the changing environment, teams and team leaders will need to employ certain decision making strategies like: Strategic Leaders and Teams Though possibly frustrating to new people consensus decision making makes full use of the perceptions, judgment and experience of a team. Great mastery of a small team consensus decision making process or activity could be a key to attaining a successful resolution of whichever crisis that surfaces in the complex environment. Based on the nature of modern issues within the global environment, strategic decision making must depend upon teams in solving problems and making policy recommendation (Heskett, 2010). Long Term Vision Successful strategic leaders use strategic team to vision processes. The team views the strategic environment from varied perspectives and visualizing the efficiency of proposed strategies after some given time. Using a team, a leader can understand a complicated situation then gain insight on the way to attain long-term objectives, allocate needed resources and relate tactical and operational decisions into strategic plans Team Building A successful strategic leader will use his or her knowledge and skills in structuring and leading performing teams. Every strategic team performing with unity of purpose participates in the creation of a strategic vision, development long-range plans, implementation of new strategies and access to resources. Considering the features of a strategic environment and the complexity of both global and national issues, all strategic leaders need to use teams lest they fail in their leadership (Heskett, 2010). Conclusion Decision making is a crucial role of the management and can make an organization to rise or fall. Therefore, leaders need to be familiar with the trends in decision making skills and try employing that in the daily operations of the organizations. References Bruce, D. P. (2012). Decision Making. In D. P. Bruce, Understanding Decision Making Processes In Airline Operations Control (pp. 12-13). Ashgate Publishing Limited. Heskett, J. (2010, Decemeber 2). Making Right Choices: Art or Science? Retrieved February 15, 2014, from Harvard Business School: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6475.html McStravick, A. (2013, November 20). People With Higher Emotional Intelligence are Better Decision Makers. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from Red Orbit: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113008696/decision-making-skills-linked- emotional-intelligence-112013/ Read More