FREE ESSAY ON DECISION-MAKING & FORCES OF INFLUENCE

DECISION-MAKING & FORCES OF INFLUENCE

Critical Thinking Styles and Forces of Influence
Making decisions is a major portion of the manager's responsibilities. It is an aspect
that cannot be taken lightly nor can it be done in a hasty manner. Hasty, careless
decisions can have devastating results on the manager's department or even for the entire
company. Decisions that are made with deliberation using different kinds of processes,
however, can lead the department or company to better and/or more profitable operations.
When decisions are indeed made in this manner, the manager should feel confident that he
or she has made an appropriate decision and is the best option given the information
available at the time. This does not mean to say that the manager will always make the
correct decision; lack of information or situational changes can lead to faulty analysis.
However, if the manager uses critical thinking and proven successful decision-making
strategies, he or she can and should be confident in whatever action they have decided is
appropriate. Their own confidence level will, in fact, affect the outcome of their
action. 
Forces of Influence
"Managers can be called "information workers"; a manager is a craftsperson whose raw
material is information (McCall & Kaplan 16)." Managers spend the majority of their time
absorbing information and trying to process all the information in order to reach a
decision of some sort or another. With in the realm of the information system a manager
has many sources of where he or she may get this information, including, (a) systems and
structures set up to keep them apprised on ongoing events, (b) the people around them who
volunteer information and can be approached in search of trouble signs, clues, and
missing pieces of puzzles, (c) the values of the organization, which point people in
certain directions and define the critical variables in a complex array of possibilities,
and (d) the manager's own direct experience" (16). Management information systems aid a
manager in developments for his or her area, which can be a 
strength or a weakness depending on the complexity of the system.
One major problem with this whole process is the manager's mind to go into what is called
by many as an information overload. This can lead a manager to make faulty decisions
based on information that is relevant to his or her judgement but fail at investigating
the information for the opposing idea or situation.
Managers rely heavily on the associates that surround him or her to gather and provide
him or her with the information needed to complete a particular scenario. Although the
associates may or may not have the proper information it is still a primary source and
influence that a manger must use. Another way managers obtain information is by the
guiding values and beliefs within their organization. This contributes to a manager's
separation of relevant information from irrelevant information from the perspective of
the organization expectations. In addition to values and beliefs, the direct hands-on
experience of a manger is a good source for obtaining necessary information. When a
manager is encountered with a problem he or she has experienced before, they have
firsthand information to work through the problem, as they deem necessary, because they
already have the personal understanding and knowledge needed in working with the
information. 
Forms of Thinking
A big factor in what managers use to process the information he or she encounters relies
heavily upon their cognitive process. Which according to McCall and Kaplan is the first
step in making sense out of the information that is in front of them at the time.
Managers process information through nine different processes including: making sense of
the pieces; processing only so much; simplifying the information; utilizing an emotional
component; defining a reality; digging for information; knowing what one is doing;
knowing one's self; and having an open mind. 
Another approach used to process information is the logical scientific approach. Which
according to McAulay, Russell and Sims note that within the logico-scientific mode of
decision making, it is important to discover the whole truth about the situation in order
to make a logical and definitive decision. This type of decision cannot be based on one's
opinion or even the opinion of the team; it must be based on hard evidence (32). To base
decisions on personal perspectives or opinions without taking the time to analyze the
situation can result in losses for the company.
One other factor that is definitely an influence and a thinking pattern, which can effect
a decision-making process, is the manager's personality.
Different personality types have been related to decision-making strategies used.
Waldersee and Sheather addressed this issue in a study they did. They found that
characteristics such as problem solving style, locus of control, the need for
achievement, risk aversion and the degree of tolerance the manager has for ambiguity are
all directly related to the strategy used to make decisions. Personality characteristics
then drive the implementation of whatever decision has been made. For example, some
studies have concluded that an internal locus of control is directly linked to
innovations within the company as well as to a greater effectiveness in managing. Other
studies have linked a willingness to accept risk and a high degree of tolerance for
ambiguity to being effective in building the company but not in maintaining it at any
given level. These researchers caution the reader that personality characteristics are
not the only determining factors in decision making strategies; there are also the
factors of experience and the inter-relationship of personality within the specific
context of the situation. Further, both the mission of the organization as a whole and
the functioning of the team of which the manager is a member play a significant part in
how managers will make decisions (1000).
Conclusion
In conclusion there are a multitude of factors affecting the quality of decisions made by
any given manager that include but are not limited to: personality characteristics,
experience, the context of the situation at hand, strategies used and critical thinking
and analysis. One topic not discussed at great length in this paper is the degree of
confidence a manager has in the decisions he or she makes. It is only a logical
conclusion that the manager will implement decisions with an enthusiasm and dedication
that is equivalent to their belief they have selected the correct action for the
situation. If the manager follows some of the simple steps outlined and avoids the
pitfalls, he or she can and should have complete confidence in the decision made.
Bibliography
Works Cited
McAulay, Laurie, Russell, Graeme and Sims, Julian. How Do Financial Directors Make
Decisions? Management Accounting (British), (1997): Vol. 75.
McCall, Morgan, Jr. and Robert E. Kaplan. Whatever it Takes. The Realities of Decision
Making. Prentice Hall 1990.
Waldersee, Robert and Sheather, Simon. The Effects Of Strategy Type On Strategy
Implementation Actions. Human Relations, (1996): Vol. 49, No. 1,