Becoming Who You Want To Be

In this installment of our guide to organizational management we look at decision making…

Effective managers are tasked with making decisions ranging from large to small on a daily basis. An effective organization employs managers who are problem-solvers and who can make decisions constantly.

Before any decision is made to correct a problem, an analysis must be conducted to determine what the potential impact of that problem could be on the company. Those that could potentially result in a critical outcome should obviously be addressed first. Every issue, however, must be analyzed in a systematic way before a determination as to a solution is effected.

Knee-jerk decisions can be harmful, and to avoid them, one must gather and assess all information available about an issue. It is risky to rely on just one source when collecting information and facts as the source may be biased. Further, only verifiable information should be used to make a determination.

Collecting information in order to obtain a complete understanding of the issue is only the first step, however. Once the information is available, then it is wise to brainstorm different solutions and possible options in order to get more than one perspective. Such options can start out as wide-ranging, and then can be narrowed down to fit the scope of the problem.

Once possible solutions have been nailed down, then it is important to consult with others, particularly those individuals who the final decision will affect, in order to get feedback as to feasibility for implementation. Drawing on a pool of knowledge, skills and experience is infinitely preferable to an autonomous decision.

Tools, techniques and analysis methods (such as: Pareto Analysis; Paired Comparison Analysis; Grid Analysis; PMI; Six Thinking Hats; Starbursting; Decision Trees) can then be applied. These are not conclusive, but they do offer an objective and somewhat scientific approach to decision making. They’re particularly useful when the decision-makers judgment is liable to be clouded by being too closely involved with the issue at hand.

The final step will be to weigh the positive benefit of each proposed solution against any negative impact such decision may incur, as few solutions can be implemented without some draw-back. The best solution will be the one that offers the most positive benefit, with the least likelihood of negative side-effects.