ARE GROUPS BETTER THAN INDIVIDUALS IN MAKING DECISIONS?

Decision-making groups may be widely used in organizations, but does that mean group decisions are preferable to those made by an individual alone? The answer to this question depends on a number of factors we consider below.

8. Evaluating decision effectiveness

The last step in the decision making process involves evaluating the outcome or result of the decision to see if the problem has been resolved. If this evaluation shows that the problem still exists then the manager would need to assess what went wrong. Was the problem incorrectly defined? Were errors made in the evaluation of various alternatives? Was the right alternative selected but poorly implemented? The answers to questions like this might send the manager back to one of the earlier steps. It might even require starting the whole decision process over.  

7. Implementing the alternative

This step is concerned with putting the decision into action by conveying the decision to those affected by it and getting their commitment to it. If the people who must implement a decision participate in the process, they are more likely to enthusiastically support the outcome than being told what to do. Another thing managers also may need to do during the implementation process is to reassess the environment for any changes, especially if the decision is one that takes a longer period of time to implement. 

6. Selecting an alternative

Once all the pertinent criteria in the decision have been weighted and viable alternatives analyzed, merely the best alternative can be chosen. 

5. Analyzing alternatives

Once the alternatives have been identified, a decision maker must analyze each one in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of each alternative become evident. Some assessments can be done objectively because the point is that most decisions by managers involve judgment.