Decision-Making
HRT 382
Thank You!
Thomas R. Harvey, William L. Bearley, and
Sharon M. Corkrum, authors of The Practical
Decision Maker: a Handbook for Decision Making
and Problem Solving in Organizations
Thomas R. Harvey, presenter on Decision
Making (ULV, Fall 2001)
Michael Doyle and David Straus, authors of How
to Make Meetings Work
Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of
Highly Effective People
Ken Blanchard and Steve Gottry, authors of The
On-Time, On-Target Manager
SITNA
“Situation That Needs Attention”
Phrase and term coined by John Jones
Reframing a problem as a SITNA helps remove
the negative connotation we place on ‘problems’
– Complaint
– Challenge
– Improvement Need
– Opportunity
– Performance Gap
What ever the term…
Problem Solving
is one type of
Decision Making
Blanchard and Gottry point out…
We have four categories of daily activities
we face
– Things we want to do and have to do
– Things we have to do but don’t want to do
– Things we want to do but don’t have to do
– Things we don’t want to do and don’t have
to do
Prioritizing Activities
YES MAYBE
Want to do Want to do
and but
have to do don’t have to do
Have to do
NO
but Don’t want to do
and
don’t want to do
don’t have to do
Personal Decision Making
Time Management vs. Life Management
Time management is a decision making process
Effective personal decision making requires
effective time management
However, efficient scheduling and control of time
can be counterproductive
Covey’s phrase is:
“Organize and execute around priorities”
Personal Decision Making
An “efficiency focus” may limit the:
– Development of rich relationships
– Our ability to enjoy the moment
If we organize and execute around priorities, the
focus is:
– Preserving and enhancing relationships
– Accomplishing results
Life management is decision making
Life management is managing ourselves
Time Management Matrix
Importance of personal vision or mission
and personal goals
Covey’s time management matrix helps to
understand how to manage ourselves and
our lives
His concepts are: Urgent & Important
– Urgent means “Now!”
– Important relates to results
Goal is to be a “Quadrant II” person
Time Management Matrix
I. Urgent/Important II. Not Urgent/Important
Crises Prevention
Pressing issues & problems Relationship building
Deadline-driven projects Planning
Recreation (worthwhile)
III. Urgent/Not Important IV. Not Urgent/Not Important
Interruptions Trivia & busy work
Some mail and phone calls Some mail and phone calls
Some meetings Time wasters
Proximate, pressing issues Pleasant activities
Moving from Individual to Team
Teams are composed of individuals
Some individuals are hardy
– Resilient
– See problems as challenges and opportunities
Some individuals demonstrate self-efficacy
Who are you?
On a fully-functioning team, most, if not
all, individuals demonstrate these traits
A Fully Functioning Team will…
Work together successfully
Solve problems and reach decisions in a
way that incorporates individual input
May reach decisions through consensus
Adapt to change
Achieve or exceed desired results
Teams & Decision Making
A team has a purpose
– A vision of where it is heading
– A picture of the desired results
– The question is, “Which path do we take?”
Decision making is the art of choosing and
implementing a solution to a identifiable
SITNA
Without vision and without decision
making, there is no need for leadership
(Thomas Harvey)
Writing Time!
Please print you name and “lunch” or
“dinner” at the top of an 3x5 card
Think about a decision you recently
reached while part of a team
Draw a diagram or list the steps showing
the process and briefly explain each step
I will ask a few of you to share your
decision-making steps
Types of Decisions
Command
– Urgent / Important
Convenience
– Not Important / Not Urgent
Consultation
– Not Urgent or Urgent / Important
Consensus
– Not Urgent / Important
Team Consensus
With both Consultation and Consensus, let
people know up front what their thoughts
will be used for
Not Urgent / Important
Keys for Consensus:
– Everyone understands the issue
– Everyone expresses an opinion
– Everyone can live with the decision
Practical Decision-Making
For Consensus Decision Making
Six Steps
– Mind-set
– Problem definition
– Solution criteria
– Possible solutions
– Solution choice
– Implement
Step 1: Mind-Set
Talk, don’t solve – create a safe environment
SITNA – Thinking and discussing the problem
– What resources will be needed?
Organizational context (circumstances and
setting)
– Vision, values, organizational direction, toxicity
– How will it affect the organization?
People context
– How do people feel and what positions are evident?
– Is the problem political?
Decision making context
– What type of decision making is needed?
– The “givens” – resources, legal, and other parameters
Step 2: Problem Definition
If the problem is clear, this step is short
New venture
– A choice (non-reactive); new vision and goals
Short fall
– Existing Condition < GAP > Desired Condition
– Why? & Causes?
Improvement
– Existing Condition < GAP > New Expectations
– New processes needed
Opportunity
– Why is it an opportunity?
Step 3: Solution Criteria
Criterion examples
– 100% consensus
– It will not cost more than $XXX
Needs Must have to reach a decision
(Must)
Wants It would help to have these
(Should)
Nice, too! A perk, but not required (Bonus)
This step is critical to help remove emotion and
politics
It also helps focus possible solutions
Step 4: Possible Solutions
Generate ideas
– If natural solutions are 3 (A, B, C), then generate 2½
times as many (at least 8 in this example)
– Some may be silly, but beyond silly is genius! (Harvey)
Clarify
– In the first step, get the ideas out; then clarify
Combine
– Some ideas may be combined to enhance the option
Document
– Generate a list of possible solutions in their final form
Step 5: Solution Choice
Compare all possible solutions with the
Solution Criteria generated in Step 3
What is the best solution?
It is the one that satisfies all needs, the
most wants, and it may have some “nice,
too’s”
Has the least negative consequences
Reach consensus with the team
Step 6: Implement
Action plan
Do it
Inspect
Structuring Team Meetings
Get the Doyle & Straus book!
Have norms
Have a proper agenda
Have assigned responsibilities:
– Facilitator, Recorder, Timekeeper, Process Observer,
and maybe a Facilities/Materials Person and a Snack
Provider
Rotate responsibilities - Why?
Report using a “Group Memo” rather than
minutes
Use formal “structuring devices”
Use of Structuring Devices
Techniques to help individuals
– Understand the issue
– Offer their thoughts and opinions
– Reduce emotion, stress, and politics
– Stay on track, on time, and move toward decision
Techniques for ordering how people decide
things
They structure behavior
Each step in the decision making model has a
menu of structuring devices from which to
choose
“We don’t have enough
time to do it right, but
we always have time to
do it over.”
- Author Unknown
