Decision Making
by Ken Chapman, Ph.D.
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“Decision is a sharp knife that cuts clean and straight; indecision, a dull one that hacks and tears and leaves ragged edges behind.”
Gordon Graham
As a team member and a leader, one of your responsibilities is to make decisions. Sometimes you decide correctly, but you always decide. Regularly, you must gather information, evaluate facts, and decide on a course of action. A decision is a judgment. It is a choice between alternatives. How quickly and how effectively you make decisions will, to a great degree, determine your success.
Confidence and Decision
One of the key ingredients to decision making is confidence; confidence in your ability to make good decisions and to implement those decisions. When we think about “confidence,” we tend to picture those men and women who have acted bravely in an extraordinary situation. Certainly there is no value in diminishing the importance of heroic choices. But most of us do not routinely face such dramatic choices. Instead, confidence is expressed in countless routine decisions. Developing confidence may not catapult you into the White House, but it will help you reach a level of effective decision making that will ensure your personal and professional success.
How does a person develop the courage to overcome the obstacles and challenges continually confronting him or her? How can you develop the confidence to attack the problems and make the decisions facing you today?
For some, a fear of “not knowing all the answers” undermines the very opportunity to get the answers by inviting solutions or ideas from other team members. It is always a good policy to invite outside participation when confronted with a situation that involves others. This approach not only gives you some important input, but generates greater buy-in from your teammates.
An effective decision is based upon information. If you do not know what is going on or what people are feeling, ask questions. It will be difficult to constantly have the right information to make effective decisions. The most effective decision makers are those who know what is going on first hand and are willing to take hold of the problem.
The first step is exercising enough determination and self-discipline to begin doing today what you may have feared in the past. All of us know this basic truth, but we need to constantly remind ourselves of its value. As the first step is taken, you soon discover that the talents you already possess are more than enough to cope with the decisions at hand. While there will always be those around you whose negative attitudes will permeate your thinking, remember positive results are the product of positive thoughts and deliberate planning; negative thoughts yield no results at all.
Confidence is a magnetic quality that stimulates success not only personally, but also for those whose jobs are affected by your decisions. The fact of the matter is that most people find confidence appealing. It is a quality people want to identify with and a model for them to emulate in their own roles and decisions. You can develop greater confidence by acting with courage in facing the problems of today.
Emotions and Decisions
Much of the literature on decision making implies, if not states, that emotions should have no role in decision making. According to the classical mold, decision making is an orderly process. First, you define and isolate the problem. Next, gather relevant data and then take action. Emotions are never involved in the process. While this may or may not be desirable, it is highly improbable. We simply cannot “put our emotions aside.” Furthermore, emotions can be an asset to decisions if they are positive emotions. Positive emotions can help to activate creativity. Enthusiasm helps you to persist to create and to solve. Positive emotions help you to develop courage, to involve others in the process, and to recognize their needs. Positive emotions help you to communicate the effect decisions have on others and, with empathy, help them to see the benefits.
The Principles of Decision Making
As a person who is expected to get things done, your position calls for many decisions in the course of a busy day. Usually these decisions require little time and thought. In many cases, they are so routine you decide automatically and instinctively. At times, however, the problem is a bit larger or the decision is more complex. It is in these times that a conscious and objective decision process is needed.
In these cases, there are two qualities that will lead to more effective decisions — logic and an open mind. When you approach a problem, let go of preconceived ideas and prejudices. Logically assemble and learn the facts of the situation. Webster defines logic as “The science of formal reasoning.” Because of the unavoidable cause and effect relationship involved in a given situation, you can formulate solutions that deal with the root of a problem, not just the results. By keeping an open mind, you can creatively develop many alternatives from which you make your decision. The logical, open-minded approach to making decisions usually involves the following process:
1. Recognize a problem exists. Many times in your harried, busy, pressured environment with production deadlines to meet, customers to serve, people to train, and quality to maintain, it seems easy to hope that a problem will “go away” or “resolve itself.” Usually the opposite occurs — it gains momentum and becomes worse. Many a formal grievance could have been solved, at a considerable savings, if all concerned would have dealt with the initial problem. Make it a top priority to be continuously on the alert for potential problems. Respond to them with a bias for action.
2. Define the problem. What appears to be the problem is not always the real problem. Most problems will involve people and because of the complexity of human nature, the problems may be expressed in many ways. A peer who constantly complains about poor lighting at a work station could really be communicating a need for more attention, further training, or a desire to be moved away from another employee with whom there is a personality conflict. You could put in ten new lights around the work station and you will never solve the problem. The real problem was never identified. In this stage of the process, it is necessary for you to gather information. Information helps you feel more confident. However, too much information or too much time spent getting it does not improve the accuracy of decisions. When taken to the extreme, information overload can actually result in paralysis. You may have many sources of information, but your most important source is people. Ask questions. Determine what the problem is and is not. Take into consideration the behavior of people, their attitudes, needs, feelings, goals, and their relationship to the problem itself.
3. Identify possible causes of the problem. At this stage of the process, it is necessary to clearly identify possible causes of the problem. The use of the five “W’s— who, what, when, where, and why, will help you discover the possible causes and further isolate the real problem. This process is very similar to the obstacle-identification step in goal setting. List and clarify all the causes or obstacles as clearly and specifically as you can. Once you have identified all the probable causes, you can more accurately determine the real cause of the real problem.
4. Seek a series of alternative solutions. Once you have defined the problem and its cause, you can begin to seek solutions. It is important to keep an open mind and determine as many alternatives as possible. Once you have identified a number of solutions, it is much easier to creatively select the best one. In addition, you always have an “alternative plan” in the event your initial plan does not produce the effects you want.
5. Choose the solution you think is best. Look at all the alternatives and then decide which option is best. A good decision involves a selection between good alternatives. You should not start out with the assumption that one solution is right and all the others are wrong. You want to avoid any attitude which suggests, “I am right” and “You are wrong.” The quality of your decisions will be determined by the degree to which you keep an open mind.
6. Share your decision. This phase of the process involves action. Decisions are of little significance unless they are followed by action. As much as possible, allow and encourage others to participate in the process. Keep in mind most people have a basic need to have a say in matters that directly affect their work. They derive a sense of dignity and self-respect from doing so. Participation leads to increased understanding of the problem and stronger support for the decision. When people are consulted about changes, they will adjust better to the changes.
7. Evaluate the decision. The purpose of a decision is to achieve a desired result. Once you begin to implement a decision, develop a system for measuring results. If the expected results are not forthcoming, be prepared to implement an alternative plan.
Timing and Decisions
Timing is one of the most important qualities of an effective decision. A decision made or acted upon too late is usually too late for positive results. Yet, many are under the false impression that in order to make a wise decision, they must think it over, wait for inspiration, or analyze all the possibilities. While none of these practices are bad, dependence on them can cause procrastination. At some point, you have to face the situation and make a decision. Problems do not fade away by being ignored. Eventually you have to roll up your sleeves and solve them. People frequently procrastinate when confronted with a difficult decision not realizing that by procrastinating, the difficulty is actually made more difficult. Everything becomes rushed and you are pushed into making hasty decisions. By trying to avoid the decision or problem and trying to take the “easy way out,” you do not make it easy. It is possible to expend more energy avoiding the problem and procrastinating on a decision than it is to take action on it. On the whole, it is wiser to make decisions promptly rather than lingering over them, waiting for a “flash of inspiration.”
To be an effective decision maker, you must recognize and understand the difference between prompt decisions and rash decisions, between procrastination and important information gathering. Decisions should be based on mature judgment of these two factors.
Participative Decision Making
Participative decision making is a concept which recognizes the importance of people in the decision-making process. People have a need to be “in” on things and to have some share in determining their personal destiny. It is easier to get results from a decision if those affected by it have had some input in making it. PARTICIPATIVE DECISION MAKING DOES NOT MEAN INVOLVING EVERYBODY IN EVERY DECISION NOR DOES IT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO ABDICATE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAKING THE DECISIONS THAT BELONG TO YOU. Participative decision making is frequently misunderstood as a “soft” approach to getting things done. Nothing could be further from the truth. Participative decision making is a tough-minded, pragmatic approach to getting people committed to the needed results.
The History of Participative Decisions
A lot of “bad press” about participative decision making comes from its history. Early in our industrial history when autocratic and dictatorial management methods were common, great stress was placed on making all decisions at the top. Little or no regard was paid to the effect of the decision on the individual. When participatory management methods were first introduced, great stress was placed on involving all the people in all decisions. Little or no regard was paid to “competency” of who was qualified to make the decisions. Simply stated, opinions are not equal. Among other things: Experience matters. Track record matters. The assumption of participative management was if more people were involved in more decisions, many of our organizational problems would be solved.
Management in some organizations, eager to improve their companies, attempted to implement these theories. At that point in time, the knowledge of “how to” put these theories into practice had not yet been developed. As a result, the early attempts to spread out the decision making functions were less than successful. The theories were rational and sound, but a practical working process had not yet come into existence. Having thus identified the problem the next task to be encountered was seeking a solution.
The lesson learned from these experiences is a valuable one. It was discovered that a process had to be developed which would place equal emphasis on both organizational goals and individual needs. Team members can and will add value in decision making if competence and confidence are driven deep into the organization. How do you accomplish this? Here’s a strategy with an excellent track record:
- A. Leader defines goal.
- B. Team members develop a plan.
- C. Leader critiques the plan.
- D. Leader signs off on the plan.
- E. Team implements the plan.
- F. Leader critiques outcome.
- G. Team adjusts plan.
- H. Team succeeds.
- I. Leader recognizes success.
- J. Team becomes increasingly competent and confident.
As competence and confidence grow the entire team process becomes participative. Team members to begin to clearly visualizes what this means for them as a member of a high performance team. As team members begin to participate in decision making they begin to “own” outcomes.
Where You Are Now
If you take a close look at your many activities and responsibilities, you will find that fellow team members are making decisions on a daily basis which improve or reduce quality and directly affect the profitability of your company. Productivity is the result of decisions made by all those involved in production. If others are involved in a decision to reach higher productivity goals, their need to feel in control is satisfied and they can freely work to meet a departmental goal. Everyone needs to feel in control of their circumstances. If this need is not satisfied by being involved in decisions that directly affect them, they will make their own decisions that satisfy that need. These decisions may be unconscious, but they are decisions none the less. Tardiness, absenteeism, and carelessness are all “decisions” which make an individual feel “in control.”
When team members participate in decision-making they have less time and inclination to channel their energy into disruptive behavior. Instead, decisions are made in keeping with the goals which you and your team have set. The result is increased pride of workmanship and pride of association.
