Decision Making
Decision Making
Introduction
Some problems are more complex, like deciding how to prioritize our work, or
understanding why a process failed and deciding what to do about it; these require a rational
approach to problem solving. Often, things get even more complicated, or our decisions could
have an important impact on our lives, careers or the lives of those around us; that is where we
must have the ability to think critically and make sure there is no flaw in our logic. At other times
the problem is so unusual that it defies rational and critical thinking; these are the times where
creative problem solving becomes an invaluable tool.
In this course we will cover all these important thinking
approaches. After understanding the thinking mechanisms, we will
provide you with methods and tools that you will practice during
the sessions and that can help you at work or in life, and from the
most mundane situations to the most difficult or unusual ones.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Define the decision-making process and Describe anatomy of a decision.
- Recognize decision-making options and when to use each
- Choose appropriate strategies for certain types of decision
- Explore the behaviors that promote effective decision-making
- Use criteria to help make group decisions
- Know how to use problem solving steps and problem solving tools.
- Describe the creative process for making decisions.
- Describe tools to improve creativity.
- Describe the analytical process in decision making.
- Identify tools to improve analysis.
- Describe irrational factors and emotions that affect decision making.
- Know the rules for decision making, and Demonstrate mastery of lesson content
- Build and expand decision making, critical thinking and creative decision making skills
- Analyze and solve actual problems facing them at work
- Demonstrate and build credibility with upper management
- Develop strategic approaches to problem solving and decision making
Training methodology
The trainer uses up-to-date training techniques and a variety of training methods, to give all
participants the best opportunities for learning, including:
Actor analysis, Causal modeling, Goal trees and means-end diagrams, Problem diagrams
Uncertainty, Decision support, Score cards.
This course introduces each technique and applies each technique to a case. Ultimately, the
combination of these techniques provides a coherent analysis of the problem.
Course Outline
1. What is Decision Making?
- What are the characteristics of a good and bad decision maker?
- How much analysis do you need to do?
- What is involved in decision making process?
2. What are the Principles of Decision Making?
- Do you always have to make sure you get a
better bargain than others?
- What are the philosophical implications
of complexity when making decisions?
- What can you learn from game theory when
making decisions?
3. How to Choose Actions
- How to choose between a set of options where each has its own advantages
- How to make a quantifiable comparison between alternative options?
- How to systematically compare related options
- How to systematically compare unrelated options
4. Barriers to Brilliant Decisions
- Instinctive Decision-Making
- Barriers to Sound Reasoning
- Outlook vs. Reality
5. Decision making supplementary tools
- Being decisive and principles of decision making
- The How-How method
- Decision analysis weighted worksheet
- Consensus decision making
- The decision making process
6. Creativity and Problem solving
- Assessment of creativity and ways to think creatively
- Lateral thinking tips
- Creativity and its use as a business tool
- Barriers to creativity and ways to overcome them
- The hemispheres of the brain
- Brainstorming tips and tools
- Six thinking hats
7. Applications of techniques
- People problems and solutions
- Analysis and solution of real life problems presented by participants
- Action plan to apply problem solving and decision making skills
8. How to Analyze the Impact of Your Actions?
- How to use a measure to compare pros and cons?
- How to carry out a force field analysis
- How to compare the benefits versus the costs of taking different options?
- How to systematically analyze a cascade of decisions where one leads to another
- How to visualize your decision making process?
- What tools can you use to increase your creativity when making decisions so
you can come up with more options?
9. How to Decide in Groups
- What are the implications of deciding in groups?
- Why thinking in groups can sometimes be so frustrating?
- What can you do to increase the efficiency of your meetings?
- How to prevent dominant people from decision making process
- How to encourage newcomers to present their views without fear of criticism
- What tools can you use to streamline the process of group decision making?
- How to avoid groupthink, where participants are so eager to reach a decision
without causing conflicts that they end up choosing a wrong solution
