Decision Making - Term Paper Example

Decision Making Problem solving and decision-making are a natural process in the organizational setting. From an individual’s perspective in terms of undertaking clearly defined tasks, decisions are made when situations present the need to select from among various alternatives. Although different concepts on the theoretical framework for decision making have emerged, the standard decision-making model used in organizations focus on the rational model involving “a cognitive process where each step follows in a logical order from the one before… (and) it is based on thinking through and weighing up the alternatives to come up with the best potential result” (decision-making-confidence.com 1). On the other hand, authors Ticha, Hron and Fiedler wrote an article entitled “Managerial decision making – importance of intuition in the rational process” published in the Agricultural Economics Journal which aimed to determine the role of intuition in the decision making process (Ticha, Hron and Fiedler). In this regard, the purpose of the paper is to choose a real life problem that have either been noted or where one has been a part of and analyze it using one of the theories or ideas discussed in the text or in class. The discourse would analyze the decision making process by linking it to theories and concepts discussed to derive a deeper understanding of both the problem and potential solutions through increased knowledge of administrative behavior in organizations. Organizational Problem One has learned from a friend previously employed in a health care organization of a decision making process that involved both the rational model and intuition. By intuition, Ticha, et al. has emphasized that it is “a highly complex and highly developed form of reasoning that is based on years of experience and learning, and on the facts, patterns, concepts, procedures and abstractions stored in the decision maker’s head (Matzler et al. 2007, cited in Ticha, Hron and Fiedler 554). The health care organization is considered as one of the leading health institutions in their location that strive to maintain its leadership position and achieve a prestigous status in the international health scene. The problem involves the manifested difficulties of nurses managers to comply with their responsibilities that involve not only patient care but complying with documentation and reportorial obligations. According to nurse managers, the need to do some administrative and clerical tasks divide their focus on patient care, causing lower productivity and performance. Other symptoms of confounding problems are exemplified through back-logs in complying with monthly reports on status of medical equipment and supplies under their jurisdiction, performance evaluations of nurses, and scheduling vacation leaves and trainings for nurses. Alternative Courses of Action and Analysis of Options Using the rational model of decision making, since the problem has already been identified, the alternative courses of action were enumerated by department managers for presentation to the Vice President of Nursing and to be forwarded to the President and CEO for approval. The different options presented were as follows: (1) Status quo or do nothing, by forcing the nurse managers to comply with both adminstrative obligations and patient care. The advantage of this option is that there would not be any displacement or changes that could possible be met by resistance and difficulties in implementation. The disadvantage of this alternative is contined backlog in reports that could be significantly detrimental in the long run since the accuracy in information for performance of personnel, inventories of equipment and supplies and scheduling of vacation leaves are lacking, there are strong possibilities for insufficient supplies, demotivated staff and delayed promotions. In addition, patient care, which is of utmost importance would likely suffer as well. (2) Review the responsibilities of the nurse managers that could be delegated to other personnel. As nurse managers, their primary responsibility would be ensure that the delivery of high quality patient care is being complied according to standards posed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). By looking for more qualified personnel to take care of administrative and reportorial documentations, patient care would not be compromised. (3) Hire non-nurse managers to take care of the administrative and managerial side of complying with responsibilities in the nursing units, which is a pioneering alternative. The advantage of this option is that nurse managers would focus on patient care. The disadvantage of this alternative is the potential resistance and anxiety that is perceived to be imposed on nurse managers due to the new positions that have parallel scope of authority as theirs. Proposed Recommendation After due deliberation from the department manager and as presented to the Vice President of Nursing, the President and CEO actually opted to select hiring non-nurse managers with masteral degree backgrounds in business to assume the role of managing and governing the administrative responsibilities in the nursing units. The basis of the decision were the collaborative inputs provided by the rational decision making model and the intuitive decision making of the President and CEO. It is important to note that the President and CEO of this prestigious health care institution does not have a medical background, but possessed the highest educational attainment with a doctorate degree in business administration. He has held the position of President and CEO of the health institution for more than 15 years. As emphasized by Ticha, Hron and Fiedler, “by experiencing a number of various situations, managers develop an internal reservoir of cumulative experience and expertise” (554). Therefore, in addition to the presented pros and cons of diverse alteratives, the best solution to the dilemma was hiring non-nurse managers so that the focus of these supervisors would be on the administrative tasks and responsibilities of nursing units – which would not conflict with the responsibilities of nurse managers. Implemenation and Review Despite the apparent viability of the recommendation, the implementation process was actually met with resistance and apprehension on the part of nurse managers. These nurse managers perceived non-nurse managers as threats to their domain and position within their nursing units. Further, since the qualifications of the non-nurse managers are significantly higher in terms of educational background, the more that threats and risks to security of employment were felt. To address the resistance, the Vice President and Department Managers of all nursing units met with nurse managers to solicit their concerns and to answer all their queries, while the non-nurse managers are being oriented to their new roles and positions. They sorted issues regarding respective positions as shown in the organizational chart, delineation of responsibilties, scope and level of adminsitrative tasks, chain of command, and level of control, among others. Upon initial immersion of the non-nurse managers to the respective nurse units, the concerns that emerged were the need for appropriate training in the use of medical terms (since they do not have any medical or health background), scheduling the use of administrative office space, and transition or turn over of administrative tasks, files, reports and other documents that should be placed under the jurisdiction of non-nurse managers. Due to the anxiety and resistance that was initially felt by nurse managers, there were eminent strain in the working relationship in nursing units at the initial immersion. Althrough non-nurse managers focus on adminsitration, they still need to govern and oversee the performance of nurses, who are primarily being directed by nurse managers. There were conflicts that emerged in terms of following contrasting orders and in collaborating on which options best fit the effective management of nursing units. Personal Analysis From the abovementioned organizational scenario, one can deduce that although the recommended alternative was apparently the best solution to the problem, resistance, anxieties and fear from nurse managers could have been managed and minimized through effective management of organizational change. Resistance to change is a normal reaction since the proposed solution disturbed the equilibruim in the nursing units. The management team could have pre-empted and managed change more effectively by including the nurse managers during the deliberation period when they were enumerating alternative courses of action to solve the problem. If the suggested hiring of non-nurse managers were explained to the nurse managers in greater detail, with inputs and suggestions coming from them in terms of transition and immersion in the respective nursing units, then, conflict on the work setting could have been mimimized. As aptly noted, “intuition and rationality are complementary in the sense of capability to use each of them to meet the requirements of the particular decision making situation” (Ticha, Hron and Fiedler 556). By rationalizing the need to include the people who would be most affected by the change, the decision could have indeed worked more effectively for the betterment of the organization’s needs. Works Cited decision-making-confidence.com. Rational decision making models. n.d. 18 October 2011 . Ticha, Ivana, Jan Hron and Jiri Fiedler. "Managerial decision making – importance of intuition in the rational process." Agricultural Economics Journal - Czech (2010): Volume 56, Number 12, 553-557. Read More