How Companies Can Make Better Decisions
Reflections by Wayne Siegmund
In my experience, a company's culture shows there are numerous nuances in inter and intrapersonal relationships that lead to how employees choose to integrate themselves across the organization to include decision-making opportunities. Some of these nuances are driven by one's own self-worth, trust, fear, position, and expectations. When employees feel welcomed to engage if they want to, I believe a sense of acceptance is felt by the employee allowing them to feel comfortable in engaging and making a decision. However, when an employee is expected to make decisions, depending on the employee's experience and position amongst their peers, they may feel anxious or confident. However, if an employee is purposefully engaging to make decisions within their organization, there is more than likely a good chance the employee feels connected to their peers and organization resulting in better decision effectiveness. Yoerger et al (2015) offer "Past studies have found that individual's levels of participation in meetings was positively related to performance and greater commitment in carrying out the course of action decided upon during those meetings" (as cited by Rosenberg & Rosenstein, 1980; Sagie & Koslowsky, 1996).
Having the right leaders, with the right information in decision-making roles, can produce excellent results given the timing and culture within a given organizational environment possessing a flatter-than-hierarchal structure. However, various obstacles can impede good decision-making. I believe if the timing is not good, the decisions may not be received well by the other invested parties, or will not receive the effects as originally anticipated. If the employee chosen to make the decision does not have the relative education or experience for that position, the organization risks acting on a poor decision that may lead to unrecoverable effects.
According to Blenko (2016), she believes there are five obstacles that can impede the process of good decision-making. These impediments can be organizational complexity, a lack of clarity in who should make the decisions, the decision-maker making decisions based on wrong information, leadership behaviors that include lacking a previously organized constructive debate on the matter, and having the wrong talent in the position of the decision-maker role.
Echoing Blenko's (2016) words, I believe a good decision made quickly and executed effectively with the right amount of effort can lead to high financial performance. I also believe planning ought to be an element leading to decision effectiveness as well. As it appears each element leads to the next, what precedes Quality? I can only imagine that solid planning where understanding the complete framework of the context of the matter, as well as all the affected aspects that the decision touches, must be known and considered in order to ensure that the decision is, in fact, a high-quality one. Otherwise, the ripple of 3rd and 4th order effects may go unseen wreaking havoc behind the organization's construct just to discover the potential financial or reputational injury to the organization months or even years down the road.
The best thing I can take away for use in my organization at this time is applying the awareness of the impediments that can hinder good decision-making. Being more aware of this can help set me up for success rather than delaying the process or hurting the organization. Often in my community, poor decisions are made, but go unrecognized until the effects are acknowledged; this is a waste of time, effort, and money.
References
Allen, J. A., Crowe, J. & Yoerger, M. (2015). Participate or Else!: The Effect of Participation in Decision-Making in Meetings on Employee Engagement [Article Submitted for Publication]. Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska.
Blenko, M. (2016, November 1). How companies can make better decisions, faster [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGw6QNRjPrQ.
Brown, D. R. (2011). An experiential approach to organization development. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.
Having the right leaders, with the right information in decision-making roles, can produce excellent results given the timing and culture within a given organizational environment possessing a flatter-than-hierarchal structure. However, various obstacles can impede good decision-making. I believe if the timing is not good, the decisions may not be received well by the other invested parties, or will not receive the effects as originally anticipated. If the employee chosen to make the decision does not have the relative education or experience for that position, the organization risks acting on a poor decision that may lead to unrecoverable effects.
According to Blenko (2016), she believes there are five obstacles that can impede the process of good decision-making. These impediments can be organizational complexity, a lack of clarity in who should make the decisions, the decision-maker making decisions based on wrong information, leadership behaviors that include lacking a previously organized constructive debate on the matter, and having the wrong talent in the position of the decision-maker role.
Echoing Blenko's (2016) words, I believe a good decision made quickly and executed effectively with the right amount of effort can lead to high financial performance. I also believe planning ought to be an element leading to decision effectiveness as well. As it appears each element leads to the next, what precedes Quality? I can only imagine that solid planning where understanding the complete framework of the context of the matter, as well as all the affected aspects that the decision touches, must be known and considered in order to ensure that the decision is, in fact, a high-quality one. Otherwise, the ripple of 3rd and 4th order effects may go unseen wreaking havoc behind the organization's construct just to discover the potential financial or reputational injury to the organization months or even years down the road.
The best thing I can take away for use in my organization at this time is applying the awareness of the impediments that can hinder good decision-making. Being more aware of this can help set me up for success rather than delaying the process or hurting the organization. Often in my community, poor decisions are made, but go unrecognized until the effects are acknowledged; this is a waste of time, effort, and money.
References
Allen, J. A., Crowe, J. & Yoerger, M. (2015). Participate or Else!: The Effect of Participation in Decision-Making in Meetings on Employee Engagement [Article Submitted for Publication]. Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska.
Blenko, M. (2016, November 1). How companies can make better decisions, faster [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGw6QNRjPrQ.
Brown, D. R. (2011). An experiential approach to organization development. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.
No comments:
Post a Comment