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Decision Making Process

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The Decision Making Process
MGT / 230 January 20, 2013 Stewart Binder

Abstract Managers have to make decisions every day whether or not they are simple or complex to achieve the goals they have set for themselves. These decisions managers take are to achieve goals that they have set for themselves or the company. Decision making can be very challenging because there are many factors involved. “Most managerial decisions lack structure and entail risk, uncertainty, and conflict” (Bateman, Snell (2011). These factors cause managers not to take action or ignore problems that are occurring. Managers can create efficient solutions for problems by following the decision making process. “The model decision making process has six stages that the decision should follow, which include (1) identify and diagnose the problem, (2) generate alternate solutions (3) evaluate alternatives, (4) make the choice, (5) implement decision, and (6) evaluate the decision” Bateman, Snell (2011). Everyone has had to have made decisions in their lives whether or not they were simple or complex. People may have even used the decision making process without even knowing what it was. I have used the decision making process without knowing what it was when I decided to attend University of Phoenix. I read about the decision making process and realized I had followed the model in some way or another.

The Decision Making Process Most people set goals for themselves. Goals are set to be accomplished by a certain time. People make decisions their whole life growing up. Even as children people have set goals to do our homework, go school, and move up the next grade. As people get older they start to create new goals that require the decision making process. I graduated high school and from there on I went to a community college. I finished a few credits at the community college and decided to leave to go to a technical school. I attended Universal Technical Institute and received my Diesel Technology Certificate. After graduation I was immediately hired at Avid Budget Group. I was hired as a mechanic for Budget Truck Rental. I stayed with this Avis Budget Group and was questioning if turning a wrench my whole life would be something that I wanted to do as a career. This is where my decision making process came into place. I already knew that I had a problem which was the career path I chose, because it was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I identified the problem, which was a new a career and furthering my education. After identifying the problem I had to decide where I wanted to go to further my education to obtain my bachelor’s degree. I did research on the schools available which were very limited. I could have gone back to my community college but with my research I found University of Phoenix. This school appealed to me since it was an online school and would fit into my busy schedule. University of Phoenix also offered to take my courses from Universal Technical Institute where many institutions did not. With credits from both my community college and technical school the school would transfer a total of 57 credits. This is where I decided I wanted to go since I would I would have completed my bachelors program the fastest at this school. My next step involved choosing my major which was between business management, to own my own business in the future, or to work towards a bachelor’s in information technology. I weighed the options out of each degree and decided to go with business management since it had more positive outcomes than information technology. I chose my major and applied to the school knowing that I would only be bettering my future and working towards my goal of having a bachelor’s degree. I was accepted and started my new bachelor’s program of business management. I am happy with my decision since I am working towards my goal of owning my own business in the future. Once I graduate I wish to work as a manager of a business to understand how to run a business from the ground up with hands on experience. The decision making process in the text is an ideal model that allows people to be guided through the decision making process. “The process begins with identifying and diagnosing the problem, in this stage is identifying a problem exists and must be solved” (Bateman, Snell (2011). This step is to know what the problem is that needs to be solved. The problem usually has to be fixed to achieve goals set. The following step is generating alternate solutions. This step requires one multiple solutions for the problem that is occurring. This can be done by making solutions known as “ready-made solutions which use ideas they have tried before or follow the advice of others who have faced similar problems, and custom made solutions, which are solutions designed for a specific problem” (Bateman, Snell (2011). The third step in the decision making process is evaluating alternatives. This step is to analyze and review the different solutions generated and figuring out which solution is best. Following this step is making the choice. This step is used after evaluating the alternatives and in this step the best solution is chosen to be used to fix the occurring problem. The fifth step is implementing the decision. This step can be broke down into smaller steps. These steps break down implementing the decision so this step is executed right. “1. Determine how things will look when the decision if fully operation, 2. Chronologically order, perhaps with a flow diagram, the steps necessary to achieve a full operational decision, 3. List the resources and activities required to implement each step, 4. Estimate the time needed for each step, 5. Assign responsibility for each step to specific individuals” (Bateman, Snell (2011). This step is overlooked by a lot of decision makers because it does not put their plan into action and nothing gets done. The final step in his process is evaluating a decision. This step is exactly how it sounds and is used to see analyze the results of the solution that was chosen. This means analyzing the solution that is in effect and seeing if it is fixing the occurring problem. My decision making process had many similarities to the text book’s ideal decision making process. I followed the text from step one which is identifying and diagnosing the problem. I identified my problem and diagnosed my problem which was furthering my education to obtain a degree that would allow me to have the future I wanted. The second step was deciding alternate solutions which were different educational institutions that could offer me the program I wanted which was business management. I also had to look for the school that would offer me most credits from what I completed in the past. This required me to evaluate my alternatives. I did this by look at what each school had to offer, how many credits could transfer to the school, and the cost of the school. After analyzing my solutions I came to the conclusion that University of Phoenix offered me the degree I wanted, took the most credits for transfer, and although the cost was higher I would achieve my goal of obtaining my degree in the shortest amount of time. This is where I made the choice of going with University of Phoenix. I started school and am currently working towards my degree. I have two years left to complete the program and that is in less time than I had originated. This means my solution which was furthering my education with the right institution seems to be working quite well. This means that my decision making process was a little different for the fact that I put implementing my decision at the end of the process instead of as step 5. I had to decide where I was going after evaluating all my solutions to put my plan into action. I believe if I followed the text book’s version of the decision making process versus my process of decision making I think they would be very identical. The same logic in steps was used even though it was slightly out of order. With all the analyzing and research completed the end results would have been the same, unless I was not accepted into the University of Phoenix meaning I would have to go with an alternate solution. Which still would have followed the decision making process. This ideal process is very helpful in decision making for simple or complex problems.

References Bateman, T. S., & Snell, S. A. (2011). Management: Leading & Collaborating in a Competitive World (9th ed.). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

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