Decision making in an organization

Decision-making is the process of selecting the best option from a collection of options that are available to you. Every decision leads to action, which might involve a novel approach to carrying out tasks, expressing opinions, or engaging in an entirely new experience. The finest among the decision-makers’ available preferences should emerge during the decision-making process.

It entails the steps of identifying a problem, identifying strategies for addressing the problem, and selecting the approach that will best address the current issue. When making decisions logically, experts in a subject collaborate to determine the best options that will almost best decisions that will most likely lead to a solution to the issue at hand

Organizational Decision-making

In an organization, the top departmental officials are always represented in decision making over factors that affect the running and activities of the firm. Heads are brought together bringing various work experience, and knowledge gained to help arrive at a sober decision that will effectively tackle a problem faced in the organization (Andrew, 2014).

Decision making is an important aspect of management as in everyday activities the people in management positions have to keep deciding over choices. Decision making is a course of action which determines a process to be followed in achieving a set goal. A manager, for example, has to make decisions before determining a plan of action (Andrew, 2014).

Steps Involved In Organizational Decision Making

Decision making involves a step to step logical procedure that is adhered to attain quality decisions. It is lengthy and time-consuming as it involves identifying a problem, analyzing a problem, developing alternative solutions, selecting the best solution over the alternatives, converting the decision into action and making a follow-up/feedback (Andrew, 2014).

Identifying a Problem

It is said that a problem well defined is half solved, this is the first process in decision making in which you factor a problem that is affecting the organization. In this process, one should also consider the causes of the problem and gauge whether the causes are controllable or not (Andrew, 2014).

Analyzing the Problem

This is the next step in the decision-making process where after identifying a problem you need to make an analysis of it. This is necessary as it gives one the direction to be taken in trying to solve the problem. Elements considered in this stage include some considerations taken i.e. a scope of its impacts, uniqueness and the future of the decision i.e. if the decision will be flexible with future changes (Andrew, 2014).

Developing Solutions

After identifying a problem and making analysis, solutions have to be developed. This involves listing down all possible causes of action that can be used to combat the problem at hand. At this stage, it is advised to involve a group in developing solutions as depending on suggestions from a single person is undesirable. Increasing the number of people in participation increases the number of solutions brought forward which is best (Andrew, 2014).

Selecting the Best Decision over Alternatives

After coming up with solutions that can be used to combat the problem, the next step is to choose the best efficient and rational solution to be used in solving the problem. This is then conversed to all those who will be affected by the decision, the more they tend to agree to it the better as it will boost effectiveness and quick adaptation to it. Group decision making where all those affected are involved promotes implementation (Andrew, 2014).

Converting Decision into Action

Converting decision into action phase is where after picking the best solution you turn it into action. Without action, the decision remains null and void. Here the management has to follow up to see that the new changes are effective and are strictly followed and adhered to by the organization’s staff. The organization staff should also have trust that the decision is the best (Andrew, 2014).

Feedback

Delivering feedback is the final stage in the decision-making process and involves gathering reports, observations and interviewing all those affected by the new decisions. Delivering feedback helps in checking on whether the decision completed was indeed the best or should be rolled back and another decision considered (Andrew, 2014).

Every step in the decision-making process is important and requires a keen analysis before moving a further step. Decision making is an integral process in management as it helps in evading problems faced and achieving the best solutions for the sovereignty of a business organization thus decision making should be taken seriously and given a more professional approach when undertaking (Andrew, 2014).

Information Seeking and Use in Decision Making

In decision making information, seeking is a key ingredient in arriving at quality decisions. This is because of the logical fact that you cannot fight a problem without information on possible ways and skills to go to war against it. By information, you can choose among the best suggestions by using information on how other organizations ended up after incorporating a given solution (Paul, 2015).

By doing so you are using the history of other groups and effects of their decisions made if the decisions made was positive to them you can as well adopt it if it combats the same problem. If it had negative impacts on past organizations, then you drop it out of your list of preferences as you already have information that can help you predict the outcomes (Paul, 2015).

I conclude that decision making is a key feature in management and should be given a professional approach to making it more useful in making an organization grow and about problems. Most firms that use feeble ways in decision making always end up with more problems i.e. disagreement between the management and employees which may be because they were not involved in the decision-making process in making changes that affect them.

References

Pettigrew, A. M. (2014). The politics of organizational decision-making. Routledge.

Collier, P. M. (2015). Accounting for managers: Interpreting accounting information for decision making. John Wiley & Sons.