Exploring The Basics Of The Decision Making Process (Essay Sample)

Basics of Decision Making
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Basics of Decision Making
In the real world, every living creature is faced with situations that call for decisions. Decisions are made when one has to choose from available alternatives mainly between desirable and an actual choice. Depending on the nature of the problem or situation at hand people make different decisions basing on various factors to withstand any additional issue associated with such areas. The essay, therefore, aims at exploring the basics of the decision-making process.
The quality of decision making usually depends on one's judgment than on raw IQ CITATION Phi08 \l 1033 (Gary Dessler, 2008). Some smart people have the unfortunate taste while those that are considered less brilliant make the brilliant analysis when faced with similar situations. Some decisions are more prominent and harder to change than others. Some choices are also more apparent than others. For instance, a car is out of gas; one must fill the tank before use. Rational decision making assumes the ideal conditions, such as the accurate definition of the problem and competent knowledge about all relevant alternatives and their values. In contrast, decision making, in reality, is bounded by differences in one's ability to process information CITATION Ger08 \l 1033 (Gerard P. Hodgkinson, 2008). In case of conditions that require an urgent response, most people struggle to find out why they think there is a problem; however, a decision maker should be able to share information and brainstorm over the cause of the problem so that a permanent or better solution may be applied. A practical decision maker should be more confident about the outcome of their decisions. This is because they will have carefully analyzed the potential consequences of their choices CITATION Wei14 \l 1033 (Weiten, 2014).
Decision-making process follows logical steps. It is vital to think of decision making as a mindful, conventional process so that one does not compromise or miss any phase of the steps. Decision making comprises of five stages according to Schwartz and Howard as cited in CITATION Han02 \l 1033 (Bierhoff, 2002). Personal and situational variables are the main elements that influence each of the five steps of decision making: Firstly establish a background in which to address the problem efficiently. To do this one must involve the right people, keep the decision group small, encourage participation and avoid backing. Secondly frame the issue correctly to make sure you address the critical issue since experiences and expectations usually affect one's perceptions. Thirdly generate a list of possible alternatives without criticizing or judging. The fourth step involves evaluation of the other options by determining how well each meet...