Managerial Decision Making

Chapter 9
 Managerial Decision Making

 Decision making is not easy

 It must be done amid

– ever-changing factors
– unclear information
– conflicting points of view

Manager’s Challenge: Tupperware

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2
 Managerial Topics
Decision Making Chapter 9

 Decision Characteristics
 Decision-making Models
 Steps Executives Take Making Important
Decisions
 Participative Decision Making
 Techniques for Improving Decision Making in
Today’s Organizations
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 Decisions and Decision Making

 Decision = choice made from available

alternatives

 Decision Making = process of identifying

problems and opportunities and resolving
them

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 Categories of Decisions

 Programmed Decisions
Situations occurred often enough to enable
–
decision rules to be developed and applied in
the future
– Made in response to recurring organizational
problems
 Nonprogrammed Decisions – in response to
unique, poorly defined and largely unstructured,
and have important consequences to the
organization
Ethical Dilemma: The No-Show Consultant

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 Decisions and Decision Making

 Many decisions that managers deal with

every day involve at least some degree of
uncertainty and require nonprogrammed
decision making
 May be difficult to make
 Made amid changing factors
 Information may be unclear
 May have to deal with conflicting points of view
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 Certainty, Risk, Uncertainty, Ambiguity
● Certainty
● all the information the decision maker needs is fully available
● Risk
● decision has clear-cut goals
● good information is available
● future outcomes associated with each alternative are subject to
chance
● Uncertainty
● managers know which goals they wish to achieve
● information about alternatives and future events is incomplete
● managers may have to come up with creative approaches to
alternatives
● Ambiguity
● by far the most difficult decision situation
● goals to be achieved or the problem to be solved is unclear
● alternatives are difficult to define
● information about outcomes is unavailable

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 Conditions that Affect the Possibility of
Decision Failure
Organizational
Problem

Low Possibility of Failure High

Certainty Risk Uncertainty Ambiguity

Programmed Nonprogrammed
Decisions Decisions

Problem
Solution
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 Selecting a Decision Making Model

 Depends on the manager’s personal preference

 Whether the decision is programmed or non-
programmed
 Extent to which the decision is characterized by
risk, uncertainty, or ambiguity

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 Three Decision-Making Models

 Classical Model

 Administrative Model

 Political Model

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 Classical Model
Logical decision in the organization’s best economic interests

Assumptions
 Decision maker operates to accomplish goals that
are known and agreed upon
 Decision maker strives for condition of certainty –
gathers complete information
 Criteria for evaluating alternatives are known
 Decision maker is rational and uses logic
Normative = describes how a manager should and
provides guidelines for reaching an ideal decision
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 Administrative
Model Herbert A. Simon
How nonprogrammed decisions are made--uncertainty/ambiguity
 Two concepts are instrumental in shaping the
administrative model
● Bounded rationality: people have limits or
boundaries on how rational they can be

● Satisficing: means that decision makers choose

the first solution alternative that satisfies minimal
decision criteria

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 Administrative Model
How nonprogrammed decisions are made--uncertainty/ambiguity
● Managers actually make decisions in difficult situations
characterized by non-programmed decisions, uncertainty,
and ambiguity

● Decision goals often are vague, conflicting and lack consensus

among managers;
● Rational procedures are not always used
● Managers’ searches for alternatives are limited
● Managers settle for a satisficing rather than a maximizing solution
● intuition, looks to past experience

● Descriptive = how managers actually make decisions--not how

they should
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 Political Model
Closely resembles the real environment

● Closely resembles the real environment in which most

managers and decision makers operate
● Useful in making non-programmed decisions
● Decisions are complex
● Disagreement and conflict over problems and solutions
are normal
● Coalition = informal alliance among manages
who support a specific goal
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 Characteristics of Classical, Political, and
Administrative Decision Making Models

Classical Model Administrative Model Political Model

Clear-cut problem and goals Vague problem and goals Pluralistic; conflicting goals
Condition of certainty Condition of uncertainty Condition of uncertainty/ambiguity
Full information about Limited information about Inconsistent viewpoints; ambiguous
alternatives and their outcomes Alternatives and their outcomes information
Rational choice by individual Satisficing choice for resolving Bargaining and discussion among
for maximizing outcomes problem using intuition coalition members

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 Six Steps in the Managerial
Decision-Making Process
 
Evaluation Recognition of
and Decision
Feedback Requirement


Implementation Diagnosis
of Chosen Decision- and Analysis
Alternative Making of Causes
Process
 

Selection of Development of
Desired Alternatives
Alternative



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 Diagnosis and Analysis of Causes

 Diagnosis = analyze underlying causal

factors associated with the decision situation

 Managers make a mistake if they jump into

generating alternatives without first exploring
the cause of the problem more deeply

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 Underlying Causes - Kepner /Tregoe

 What is the state of disequilibrium affecting us?

 When did it occur?
 Where did it occur?
 How did it occur?
 To whom did it occur?
 What is the urgency of the problem?
 What is the interconnectedness of events?
 What result came from which activity?
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 Selection of Desired Alternatives

 Risk Propensity = willingness to undertake

risk with the opportunity of gaining an
increased payoff

 Implementation = using managerial,

administrative, and persuasive abilities to
translate the chosen alternative into action

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 Decision Styles

 Differences among people with respect to how

they perceive problems and make decisions
 Not all managers make decisions the same
– Directive style
– Analytical style
– Conceptual style
– Behavioral style

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 Personal Decision Framework

Situation: Personal Decision Decision Choice:

· Programmed/non- Style: ·Best Solution to
programmed ·Directive Problem
· Classical, administrative, ·Analytical
political ·Conceptual
· Decision steps ·Behavioral

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 Directive Style

 People who prefer simple, clear-cut solutions

to problems
 Make decisions quickly
 May consider only one or two alternatives
 Efficient and rational
 Prefer rules or procedures

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 Analytical Style

 Complex solutions based on as much data

as they can gather
 Carefully consider alternatives
 Base decision on objective, rational data
from management control systems and other
sources
 Search for best possible decision based on
information available

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 Conceptual Style

 Consider a broad amount of information

 More socially oriented than analytical style
 Like to talk to others about the problem and possible
solutions
 Consider many broad alternatives
 Relay on information from people and systems
 Solve problems creatively

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 Behavioral Style

 Have a deep concern for others as individuals

 Like to talk to people one-on-one
 Understand their feelings about the problem and the
effect of a given decision upon them
 Concerned with the personal development of others
 May make decisions to help others achieve their
goals
Experiential Exercise: What’s Your Personal Decision Style?

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 Participation in Vroom-Jago
Decision Making Model

 Helps gauge the appropriate amount of

participation for subordinates in process

● Leader Participation Styles

 Five levels of subordinate participation in decision
making ranging from highly autocratic to highly
democratic

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 Participation in Vroom-Jago
Decision Making Model

 Diagnostic Questions
 Decision participation depends on the
responses to seven diagnostic questions
about

● the problem
● the required level of decision quality
● the importance of having subordinates commit to
the decision

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 Seven Leader Diagnostic Questions
 How significant is the decision?
 How important is subordinate commitment?
 What is the level of the leader’s expertise?
 If the leader were to make the decision alone at what level
would subordinates be committed to the decision?
 What level is the subordinate’s support for the team or
organization’s objectives?
 What is the member’s level of knowledge or expertise
relative to the problem?
 How skilled or committed are group members to working
together?

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 New Decision Approaches
for Turbulent Times

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