Personal Reflection on Decision-Making - Essay Example

Personal Reflection on Decision Making Introduction Decision making is one of the key aspects that affect the success of any undertaking in life. Decision making refers to the process of determining a solution to a problem by selecting the most appropriate option from various alternatives (Lunenburg 2010, p. 2). As Lunenburg (2010, p. 2) explains, the output of a decision making process is an action or an opinion on how to solve a given problem. From a psychological perspective, Baron (2000) (as cited in Gambrill 2012, p. 241) defines decision making as a process through which we commit ourselves to a specific line of thinking and action to solve a problem in which we are presented with multiple choices. According to Baron (2000) (as cited in Gambrill 2012, p. 241) the ability to derive good results from a problem solving process is dependent on the decision made initially and during subsequent problem-solving phases. On the other hand, Wang and Ruhe (2007, p. 73) define decision making from a cognitive perspective. According to Wang and Ruhe (2007, p. 73) decision making refers to the cognitive process through which we select the most suitable course of action for solving a problem, among various alternatives. Considering the various perspectives, it can be generalised that decision making is the process through which we select the best option among different choices in order to derive the best possible results in the process of solving a problem. Numerous theories, models and frameworks have shown the importance of decision making in influencing organisational performance (Al-Tarawneh 2012, p. 6). The significance of effective decision making has also been widely proved practically. In this paper, I describe my own account in which I was involved in a decision making process within an organisation, which gave unsatisfactory results. After studying various theories, models and frameworks as well as works of different researchers on decision making, I realised that the errors that emerged in the decision making process came up as a result of insufficient knowledge and skills on the decision making process. As I critically reflect on the situation, I evaluate the issues that occurred and describe how I ought to have dealt with them if I had sufficient knowledge. Decision Making Situation Before joining this college, I spent almost one year at my uncle’s superstore that offers men’s and women’s clothing and shoes. The products offered in the store are differentiated to suit different customer segments. Although the products are well displayed in the store, the size of the store and numerous products offered makes it necessary for my uncle to hire several assistants. During the time when I joined the organisation, there were four assistants, tasked with the role of welcoming customers, guiding customers to different products, giving details of the products to customers, arranging products on display shelves and cleaning the store. The store had also a cashier and an inventory manager. In addition, the store had a general manager who took the role of recording final transactions and maintaining accounting records. My uncle holds the position of a director. After joining the organisation, I was given the role of arranging products on shelves and offering assistance to customers. After around eight months, the employee involved in inventory management left the organisation to undertake further studies. During the same time, I overheard a conversation between my uncle and the general manager in which they were arguing about the best out of lower-level assistants, to replace the inventory manager. I felt that this was an opportunity for me to be promoted and earn a higher pay. I approached my uncle and explained to him that I had acquired adequate knowledge of the products offered and information related to prices and costs. I promised him that I would do well as an inventory manager. I knew that my uncle would not wish to let me down, being a family member. After he discussed the issue with the general manager, I was given the role of inventory management. Around two weeks after promotion, two of the customer assistants started behaving strangely. They started showing up for work late; they hardly gave assistance to customers; they isolated themselves; they hardly interacted with the rest of the workers; and seemed bored while undertaking the allocated roles. Generally, their performance was low. They were summoned severally by the general manager and were warned to change the behaviour. As an inventory manager, I spent much time in the office and interacted more closely with the general manager. One day in the morning, the general manager informed me that the two assistants persistently expressed weird behaviour even after warning, which negatively affected the performance of the organisation. I advised him to inform my uncle about it, which he did. My uncle contacted the two assistants and gave them warning to change. Despite the warning, the odd behaviour was still noticeable from the two workers. One morning, my uncle appeared in the office and decided to seek explanation from the two workers for their disappointing behaviour. One of them was brave enough to state that they were dissatisfied with my promotion since they had worked in the organisation for longer and thus, one of them deserved the promotion. They stated that they could only be satisfied with an increment in their salaries. After discussing with them, my uncle approached me and the general manager seeking advice on how to deal with the two workers. He mentioned that the volume of sales and gross profits were quite low during the period and thus, adjusting the salary expenses upwards would present difficulties to the organisation. After a brief discussion, the three of us agreed that the best step was to dismiss the two employees and replace them with new ones who would be satisfied with the existing salary. Consequently, the two assistants were dismissed and replaced with new ones. About one month after recruitment of the new workers, the other two customer assistants left our organisation and moved to other organisations. We later learnt from the new workers that the workers who left were dissatisfied with how the complaints by the workers who had been dismissed were handled. One of the new workers stated that “they said that they were dissatisfied with the fact that a worker who seeks justice or who complains in this organisation is dismissed.” As a result, two other workers had to be recruited and trained, a process that proved to be costly to the organisation. In addition, the workers who were dismissed as well as those who left the organisation spread negative information in the surrounding society about how the organisation treated employees. This impacted negatively on the organisation’s image. As well, additional difficulties occurred just two months to the time I was to leave the organisation to proceed with studies; the organisation had no experienced customer assistant to promote to the inventory management position. A new employee had to be recruited and trained on how to undertake the task. Effective Decision Making After undertaking the current course, I have realised that the problems that emerged after the dismissal of two workers could have been avoided through effective decision making. As mentioned, various theories, models and frameworks have demonstrated how decision making can be effective. Simon (1960) developed one of the most influential models describing how decision making can be effective. The model describes four phases of the decision making process namely intelligence, design, choice and implementation respectively (Mohamad, Aliandrina & Feng 2005, p. 1). Numerous authors have developed different models and frameworks borrowing from the work of Simon. Despite some differences, the authors generally agree that an effective decision making process must give consideration to the problem, objectives/goals, options and action. Among other authors, the general views have been shared by Schrenk (1969); Fredrikson (1971); Nutt (1989); Janis (1968); and Eilon (1979) (as cited in (Mohamad et al. 2005, p. 1). One of the errors we made while arriving at the decision to dismiss two workers at my uncle’s superstore is that we did not take enough time to make consultations from knowledgeable persons. According to Nutt (2008, p. 426) and Nutt (2009, p. 97), the decision making process should always start with the assessment of the situation and identification of the specific issues that need to be addressed. In particular, a decision maker needs to determine the depth of the problem and the issues involved. After determining the specific issues to be addressed, the decision maker should take time to look at the problem from a fresh perspective. The process of assessing the situation and the issues involved should be informed by knowledge and skills gained from past experience (Raynor et al. 2005, p. 60). If the decision maker has not encountered similar situations and issues in the past, he/she should consult people with knowledge and skills on how to handle the issue (Michel 2007, p. 41). Both the general manager and my uncle stated that they had not encountered a similar problem in the past and thus, they were not sure on how to handle it. Neither did I have knowledge on how to deal with such a situation. Despite lacking prior experience, we addressed the issue without seeking advice from other persons who may have encountered such problems. If I had knowledge on how to handle such situations, I would have advised the general manager and my uncle to seek further advice from other employers and managers from other organisations. However, I would have advised them to be clear about the involvement of the others in the process of making critical decisions as stated by Raynor et al. (2005, p. 60). Secondly, we did not take time to consider the possible options for solving the problem. Schwarber (2005, p. 1088) explains that while making a decision to solve a problem within an organisation, the decision maker(s) should determine and evaluate all possible alternatives. This can be achieved through: Brainstorming Assessing the impacts of each option Assessing how the different alternatives fit to the goals Determining the merits and demerits of each option Assessing whether each goal is achievable (McConnell 1989, p. 1382). Based on the information derived from evaluation of available alternatives, the decision makers should select the most appropriate option (McConnell 1989, p. 1382; Santovec 2013, p. 12). While arriving at the final decision, we focused on two alternatives only: to adjust the salaries of the workers and to dismiss them. We hardly took time to assess whether there were other options which could have given better results. If I had knowledge on how to make the decision making process effective, I would have proposed that we come up with and assess more alternatives. For instance, an additional option would be to invite the workers and explain to them about the hardships that the organisation was going through and promise them that their salaries would be adjusted upwards as soon as the business recovered. Probably, this would have made them more satisfied and encouraged them to work harder. Explaining to the workers that one of them would be promoted to the inventory management position after I left the organisation within the next few months would be another alternative that would possibly give better results. After selecting the best option, I would have suggested that an action plan be developed for the implementation of the option selected as indicated by Wilen (1976, p. 635). If the last option was selected, for instance, an action plan would involve assessing overall performance of employees over the next months and then giving the promotion to the best performer. I would also have suggested that the decision be communicated to the workers (Wirasinghe 2003, p. 12). This would have most likely satisfied them and made them feel that they were treated more fairly. Conclusion and Recommendations In conclusion, decision making is one of the key aspects that affect the effectiveness of the process of solving a problem. Decision making is a process that involves identification of a problem, assessing available solution options and selecting and implementing the most suitable alternative. As in our case in my uncle’s superstore, lack of knowledge on how to make effective decisions may lead decision maker(s) within organisations to make wrong decisions, resulting in unsatisfactory or less than satisfactory outcomes. After studying various theories, models and frameworks on decision making, I have realised the errors that we made when we decided to dismiss two workers from my uncle’s organisation. It is recommendable for individuals and groups within organisations to make appropriate decisions at all phases during the decision making process. The situation and the issues involved should be accurately and comprehensively assessed. Further, available alternatives for solving the problem at hand should be assessed and evaluated. The information gathered should be used in selecting the most suitable option. Finally, the action plan and implementation procedure should be developed and communicated to all parties who are affected. References Al-Tarawneh, H A 2012, “The main factors beyond decision making”, Journal of Management Research, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 1-23. Gambrill, En 2012, Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice: Improving the Quality of Judgments and Decisions. 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