Module 6 Decision Making

6.1 What is Decision Making?Decision making is the cognitive process leading to the selection of a course of action among alternatives.. 6.2 Barriers to Good Decision MakingHasty - Maki

Zaid Ali Alsagoff

zaid.alsagoff@gmail.com

Module 6:

Decision Making

Should You Ask?

Sir, why is my coursework marks so low?

I deserve higher marks

Hehehe!

Which Mobile Phone should I buy?

What are the

things you

consider before

making a

decision?

What should I wear for class (or work) today?

What are the

things you

consider before

making a

decision?

Module 6: Decision Making

3 Decision Making Process

"No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as

it is, but the world as it will be ."

-  Isaac Asimov

6.1 What is Decision Making?

Decision making is the cognitive process leading to the

selection of a course of action among alternatives

Every decision making process produces a final choice final choice It

can be an action action or an opinion opinion

It begins when we need to do something but we do not know

what Therefore, decision making is a reasoning process reasoning process

which can be rational or irrational, and can be based on

explicit assumptions or tacit assumptions

Examples:

Shopping, deciding what to eat, What to wear, when to

sleep, etc

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_making

“Successful leaders have the courage to take

action while others hesitate.”

- John C Maxwell

6.2 Barriers to Good Decision Making

Hasty - Making quick decisions without having much thought

Narrow - Decision making is based on very limited

information

Scattered - Our thoughts in making decisions are

disconnected or disorganized

Fuzzy - Sometimes, the lack of clarity on important aspects of

a decision causes us to overlook certain important

considerations

For an explanation of the logical processes behind some of these barriers refer to

Module 4 (Fallacies) and Module 1 (Section - Fallacies Barriers to Critical Thinking) Barriers to Critical Thinking

For an explanation of the logical processes behind some of these barriers refer to

Module 4 (Fallacies Fallacies ) and Module 1 (Section - Barriers to Critical Thinking Barriers to Critical Thinking).

“ Making good decisions is a crucial skill at

every level ”

- Peter Drucker

6.3 Decision Making Process

 In fact many of the less obvious choices turn out to

be the most effective ones.

3 Gather all relevant information

and evaluate all the pros and

cons of each possible choice.

 In many cases, we may lack sufficient information to make an informed decision.

 Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each choice

4 Select the choice that seems to

best meet the needs of the

situation.

 Synthesize all what you learned in previous steps and make a conclusion that you believe to be your

“best” choice.

5 Implement a plan of action and

then monitor the results, making

necessary adjustments.

 Once you have selected your best choice, you need

to develop and implement a specific and concrete plan

of action.

 As you begin taking the steps in your plan, you will discover that adjustments need to be made

“Because I'm thinking in a broader way, I feel

like I am able to make better decisions.”

- Takafumi Horie

6.4 Decision Making Tools

Tools to facilitate better decisions:

CoRT (Module 2)

SWOT ANALYSIS (Next)

SIX THINKING HATS (Module 7)

my own Click!

S trengths W eaknesses

6.4.1 SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis is a great technique for identifying

your S S trengths and W Weaknesses and study any

O pportunities and T Threats you face.

It is also a powerful strategic planning tool strategic planning tool used to evaluate a project or in a business venture or in any other situation of an organization or individual

requiring a decision in pursuit of an objective

It involves monitoring the marketing environment

internal and external external to the organization or

individual

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_Analysis

6.4.1 SWOT Analysis – Strategic Use

Orienting SWOTs to An Objective - If SWOT analysis does not start

with defining a desired end state or objective, it runs the risk of being useless

If a clear objective has been identified, SWOT analysis can be used to help in the pursuit of that objective In this case, SWOTs are:

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_Analysis

Attributes of the organization

that are helpful to achieving the

objective.

Attributes of the organization that are harmful

to achieving the objective.

External conditions that are

helpful to achieving the

6.4.1 SWOT Analysis – Creative Use

Creative Use of SWOTs – If the objective seems

attainable, the SWOTs are used as inputs to the creative generation of possible strategies, by asking (usually in

groups) and answering each of the following four questions, many times:

6.4.1 SWOT Analysis – Internal and External Factors

The aim of any SWOT analysis is to identify the key internal and external factors that are important to achieving the

objective SWOT analysis groups key pieces of information into two main categories:

6.4.1 SWOT Analysis – Errors to Be Avoided

Conducting a SWOT analysis before defining

and agreeing upon an objective (a desired end

state) SWOTs should not exist in the abstract

They can exist only with reference to an

objective

Opportunities external to the company are often

confused with strengths internal to the

company They should be kept separate

SWOTs are sometimes confused with possible

strategies SWOTs are descriptions of

conditions, while possible strategies define

actions

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_Analysis

Group Activity

Break into groups of 4 – 6.

Identify a potential product/service to invest in (e.g buying a car), or business project/venture to pursue.

Do a SWOT analysis to identify the key internal and external factors that are

important to consider (refer to the template)

Assess the findings, and make a decision.

Example:

 Imagine you want to assess whether to study at UNITAR or not Do a SWOT

analysis, assess and then make a decision 

The Group leader must submit their findings in hard-copy or soft-copy format to the

lecturer before or during the next class

6.1 What is Decision

Making?

Decision making is the cognitive process leading to the selection

of a course of action among alternatives

1 Define the decision clearly

2 Consider all the possible choices

3 Gather all relevant information and evaluate all the pros and cons of each possible choice

4 Select the choice that seems to best meet the needs of the situation

5 Implement a plan of action and then monitor the results, making necessary adjustments.

Any Questions?

The End

Online Resources

Courseware - Module 4: Decision Making

http://cw.unitar.edu.my/ugb2013/c4/index.htm

Decision Making: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_making

SWOT Analysis: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_Analysis

SWOT Tutorial: http://www.nelh.nhs.uk/folio/mchip/swot.pps

SWOT Templates:

http://www.businessballs.com/swotanalysisfreetemplate.htm

Teacher in Bad Mood:

http://www.sbac.edu/~tpl/clipart/Signs%20and%20Symbols/danger%200 2.jpg

Siti Nurhaliza:

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c369/bukaninsanbiasa/ctmelayumera h.jpg

Angry Teacher:

http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/img/education/angry-teacher.gif

Contact Details

Zaid Ali Alsagoff

UNIVERSITI TUN ABDUL RAZAK

16-5, Jalan SS 6/12

47301 Kelana Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan

Malaysia

E-mail: zaid.alsagoff@gmail.com

Tel: 603-7627 7238 Fax: 603-7627 7246