Decision-making approaches

Nowadays the role of decision-making is significant not only for corporations and organizations, but also for everyday life. It is claimed that effective decision-making is the core of success in life and career and the first step to become skillful leader. If a person is able to make up sound and appropriate decision, he is, then, able to manage affairs and to control team leading it to desired and deserved success. Nevertheless, if a person fails to comprehend decision-making, he can run risks endangering team and company’s performance. (Harris 1998)

However, good decision-making should be also ethical as it gives thinkers an opportunity to make such a decision won’t oppose anybody’s suggestions or preferences. It means that it is required to weight all proposed considerations being able to affect human’s choice. If a person needs to make difficult ethical decision, he should rely on other team members meaning he has to discuss and dialogue with others. As Velasquez mentioned in his paper, “ only by careful exploration of the problem, aided by the insights and different perspectives of others, can we make good ethical choices in such situations”. (Velasquez et al. 2005)

There are many classifications and division of decision-making approaches, but, firstly, it is necessary to find out what decision-making is. Decision-making process is defined as finding alternatives and ways based on the values and beliefs of the decision-maker. Decision-making suggests choices and alternatives and decision-maker should identify the best suited solution to the problem. For example, Robert Harris in “ Introduction to Decision-Making” states that it is “ the process of sufficiently reducing uncertainty and doubt about alternatives to allow a reasonable choice to be made from among them”. (Harris 1998)

It means that a person should gather information before making any decision. Firstly, decision-making is classified depending on the number of people involved in the process. In this category decision-making is divided into:

• Single decision meaning that a person should make up decision without any help. This approach ensures fast decision-making, whereas all responsibility is on the one person. The con is that a person may think depending on his individuality without taking into account interests and opinions of others;

• Majority rule is the approach when voting is incorporated to make up decision. This approach provides order in group because every person knows and follows the rules. However, the minority opinion isn’t accounted, whereas it can be more suitable;

• Collaboration or group decision-making when people involved discuss firstly important issues and then try to find consensus. This approach ensures the strongest support among decision-makers and reduces significantly the chances to block the decision to be made. (Types of DM 2006) However, this classification doesn’t incorporate thinking and logic when making decisions.

Therefore, I think that the second classification is the best suited when dealing with decision-making approaches. According to this classification, decision making is divided into rational, intuitive, recognition primed, and ultimate decision-making:

• Rational decision-making is logical and fully sequential and this approach is the commonest when it is required to improve decision-making. Rational approach emphasizes the role of potential options and their thorough processing. It is necessary to list strength and weaknesses of all the listed items. When incorporating this approach, a person refers to considerable think and reasoning processes to select the best suited option. The primary focus is on the “ right” thinking and logical suggestions. All steps are predicted: if to follow x, then it would lead to y;

• Intuitive decision-making suggest that we don’t incorporate logic and reasoning when making up decision. This approach request good intuition, subconscious choices, and inner feeling what is right and wrong options. Such decisions come from the hearts, bones, pictures, words, etc. Actually, it fully depends on people’s perceiving information. Intuition approach suggests that a person possesses extra five senses: he may feel, hear and see things. Sometimes this approach is rather humorous when in order to make a decision a person refers to tarot cards and throwing a coin;

• Recognition primed decision-making is involved when it is necessary to gather information primarily from environment and then choose the best suited option. For example, Gary Klein proves that people’s decisions are mostly made in a pattern recognition way. As for me, if I think mentally of the available option, I am sure it will work, but if no, I start thinking about another one. With experience growing people are able to set more decision patterns and find better and quicker solutions when needed;

• Ultimate decision-making is the most interest and, actually, my favorite, because before making necessary decision it is necessary to “ establish how and who you want to be”. (Types of DM 2006) A person can make effective decisions only when he is in good state of health and mind. It is necessary to know and hear yourself to choose the true decision. Such decisions depend on the experiences, needs and wants and allow a person to get what he wants anyway. Summing up, a person should find decision-making approach that is better suited for him, but it is necessary to remember that decision-making is nonlinear and sometimes doesn’t follow any of the above mentioned models. Decision-making fully depends on human experiences and environment. (Harris 1998)