DECISION MAKING PROCESS

Decision Making Process

Decision Making Process

In this essay, I will critically analyse all the elements of decision making process and the appropriateness of outcome.

Decision Making

Decision making always involves making a choice among a set of possible alternatives. Decision making is a central theme in critical thinking, different aspects of it are presented throughout this study.

Decisions per se, take place when a goal is specified, when information is gathered and judged, when values are used to choose the best solution, and when detailed plans are made and evaluated. Wales & Nardi (1984, p. 1)

Decision Making Process

The decision-making process is frequently stressful (Drummond 1996, 16-22). Ask anyone you know who has recently made an important decision and you will most likely be told about sleepless nights, loss of appetite (or excessive eating), irritability, and generalized feelings of anxiety. Theodore C. Sorensen (1965) in his book, Kennedy, told of the stress John Kennedy faced during the Berlin blockade crisis, and a book written by Richard M. Nixon before his presidency, appropriately titled Six Crises (1962), told about the stress caused by his early political decisions. Of course, all world leaders face crises that can make our own personal crises look insignificant by comparison. Most of us can only imagine the pressures involved when military or large-scale economic decisions have to be made.

One way to cope with the stress of decision making is to avoid making decisions whenever possible. Although avoidance is one way of handling stressful decisions, it is seldom a good way. Every time you find yourself avoiding a decision, remember that, in most cases, avoiding a decision is, in fact, making one without any of the benefits of a carefully thought out consideration of the problem.

Critical Framework for Decision Making

Take the time to examine Fig. 1 carefully. It contains the essential components of a critical framework for understanding and improving decision making, problem solving, and creative thinking. In Fig. 1, the process of making a decision is depicted as a series of boxes, each of which represents a different component, and several arrows that show the recursive nature of the process. These boxes are set in a large oval, which represents the context in which the decision is being made. The first stage in making a decision is the identification or realization that a decision is needed. This is followed by the generation of two or more alternatives that would ...