4. Developing alternatives

The fourth step requires the decision maker to list viable alternatives that could resolve the problem. This is the step where decision maker wants to be creative in coming up with possible alternatives. 

3. Allocating weights to the criteria

If the relevant criteria are not equally important, the decision maker must weight the items in order to give them the correct priority in the decision. 

2. Identifying decision criteria

Once a manager has identified a problem, the decision criteria important to resolving the problem must be identified. That is, managers must determine what is relevant in making decision. Whether clearly stated or not, every decision maker has criteria that guide his or her decision. 

STEPS IN DECISION MAKING

1. Defining a problem

The decision making process begins with existence of a problem or, more specifically, a discrepancy between and existing and a desired state of affairs.

The most significant step in any decision making process is describing why a decision is called for and identifying the most desired outcome(s) of the decision making process.

This careful attention to definition in terms of outcomes allows one to clearly state the problem. This is a critical consideration because how one defines a problem determines how one defines causes and where one searches for solutions.

Managers have to be cautious not to confuse problems with the symptoms of the problem. Also, problem identification is subjective. What one manager considers a problem might not be considered a problem by another manager. In addition, a manager who mistakenly resolves the wrong problem perfectly is likely to perform just as poorly as the manager who does not identify the right problem and does nothing.

As it can be seen, effectively identifying problems is not simple or trivial. Managers can be better at it if they understand the three characteristics of problems: being aware of them, being under pressure to act and having the resources needed to take action.

Managers become aware of a problem by looking at actual conditions and at the conditions that that are required or desired. If the conditions are not what they should be or what manager would like them to be, then a problem (discrepancy) exist. But that is not enough to make it a problem.

A problem without pressure to act is a problem that can be postponed. To trigger the decision process, the problem must put pressure on the manager to act. Pressure might come from deadlines, competitor actions, organizational policies etc…

Groups Decision Making

GROUP “DECISION MAKING” Groups decision making is decision making in groups consisting of multiple members/entities. The challenge of group decision is taking into consideration the various opinions of the different individuals and deciding what action a group should take

DECISION MAKING

A decision is the choice made from two or more alternatives. Decision making occurs as a reaction to a problem or an opportunity. A problem is a discrepancy between some current state of affairs and some desired state, requiring consideration of alternative courses of action. An opportunity occurs when something unplanned happens, giving rise to thoughts about new ways of proceeding.

VI. Team Approach: Designing Job for Teams

Individual employees perform operating tasks, but the vast majority of them work in regular small groups. Where their work is interdependent, they act as a task team and seek to develop a cooperative state called teamwork. A task team is a cooperative small group in regular contact that is engaged in coordinated action. The frequency of team members’ interaction and the team’s ongoing existence make a task team clearly different from either a short-term decision-making group (committee) or a project team in a matrix structure.
At least four ingredients contribute to the development of teamwork: a supportive environment, skills matched to role requirements, super ordinate goal, and team rewards.
Suggested guiding principles for the design of work group activity include;
Primary work groups should have between four and twenty members.


The primary work group should have a designated leader who is accountable for the group’s performance.


The group should be assigned tasks which make up a complete unit of work.


Wherever possible the group members should have responsibility for planning their own work.


Group members should then be involved in evaluating their performance in relation to the plans.