Effective Decision Making by Helga Drummond
All management activities involve decision-making of one kind or another and many decisions rely on assimilating a considerable mass of data which may take some time to collect. The decision has to be communicated and has probably itself been the result of collaboration. Moreover, the manager generally is not in the privileged position of having the time, sound advice or peace of mind conducive to decision-making, let alone within an unchanging context in the workplace. This text attempts to take managers through the most successful decision-making processes, and looks at the harsh realities surrounding both the formulaton and execution of decisions. It then creates frameworks for implementation which take account of likely real-world scenarios. Areas considered include: clarifying objectives; generating alternatives; optimal solutions; how a decision has many parts; and protection from the consequences of bad decisions.