The Priority of Open Communication

I agree that open communication should be a requirement not a goal for effective organizational management. When a manager puts forth the idea of open communication as a goal there may be other motives for it. Managers make communication a goal to give their staff a sense of opportunity for having their voice heard. The problem is that although the manager may allow others to share their opinions they have no intention of letting those voices be a factor in their decision. In this situation communication is not used as a tool but rather as a "carrot" to keep the staff engaged and feeling like they are part of the process.

If communication is not an organizational priority then it should be. If you aren't communicating then you aren't growing, learning or collaborating. How is an organization to continue to develop without those things?

Selective Application of Decisions

If the decision of management cannot be consistently implemented and enforced then the decision shouldn't have been made. When a manager makes a decision and then selectively implements it they undermine and discredit the validity of the decision. As a manager you need to have enough confidence in your decision to apply it consistently.

The other detriment to selectively applying your decision to employees is the sense of playing favorites and everyone not working under the same rules. This will ultimately undermine the managers authority and discredit any future decisions they may make, no matte how good.

Everyone Buys In To A Bad Decision

This IBM story could be indicative of several influences that affect bad decisions being made. The buy-in for IBM was necessary for them to make such a monumental decision and move forward. I think the same influences are affecting decisions being made about bailouts in our government today.

There are several possible influences. First off is the sense of needing to do something. For IBM, they were on the verge of major changes coming in the computer industry and the pressure to be first with the new technology had to be incredible. The same with the bailouts. When everything seems to be falling apart and people are looking to the government for answers the pressure is overbearing. Next is the feeling, for both companies, that doing nothing is not an option. Even if what they do ends up not working the choice of doing nothing will not work because their stakeholders will not accept it. Lastly, the excitement of the situation can cause a decision to be made without fully researching and analyzing the decision.

Is Micro-Managing Ever Necessary?

I don't know that I would say micro-managing is necessary in some environments but I do believe there are some situations that call for it. Micro-managing, as a tool, is more often than not a negative way of managing. When you manage in this way you take away the opportunity for those you are managing to grow into their abilities and you may also miss out on an opportunity to learn from someone else. In this sense I think there are a couple situations where micro-managing can be useful. Micro-management can be used as an instructional tool to teach others how to perform their duties to a higher level of competency. This can also be a useful in training new employees on the ins and outs of the organization.

The responsibility of the manager is to know when enough is enough and the micro-management can stop. If you step back to quickly you risk letting some step out on their own who is not ready. In contrast, if you hold on too long you may frustrate those who feel they can do it without someone always looking over their shoulder. Balance of styles and effective use is the key.

Different Decision Styles - Same Answer

Different decision making styles coming to the same conclusion would be expected if it is the correct conclusion. The differences will lie in the tools and resources used to get to the decision not in the outcome. Each style may take different durations to achieve the goal and more or less people may be part of the decision but the outcome can definitely be the same.

Without the ability for differing styles to reach the same goal it would be very difficult to work together with those who don't think the same as we do. There would be no agreement on the decision that needed to be made unless all those deciding were using the same style. Not very likely and also not an environment that encourages growth and diversity. Variety in the process leads to growth in the understanding of the process.

Do Nothing - The Best Option

I do believe that doing nothing is always an option and sometimes the best option. Doing nothing is not always what it seems. When you choose to do nothing you still have to continue doing what you were already. Considering the current economic situation doing nothing was an, and may have been the best, option. When there is a situation that needs to be acted upon the decision making process must include, as the first step, the decision on whether any action should be taken at all. Doing nothing does not mean you are not concerned but you may have determined that the best action is not act.

My wife is currently 4 months pregnant and she enjoys watching shows on TV about pregnancies and the complications that can arise. During a show she was watching last week a woman was given birth at home without any assistance other than here husband. The baby was ready to deliver but there was a complication. The baby was coming breach, with the feet coming first, which is very dangerous for the baby. If there had been a doctor present or she had been in the hospital at this point they would have done an emergency delivery to get the baby out. As it was she had researched what to do if complications arose and new that if this happened the best course was to resist the urge to push and just let the baby work itself out. She did this and the baby delivered without any harm to it or the mother. A situation where doing nothing was the best course of action.

Habitual Decision Making

Going outside of our habitual way of decision making has a couple of benefits to us.

First off it allows us an opportunity to grow by looking at how others think and make decisions. Although we may always feel right and come to a decision that is successful that does not mean that our decision is the only option. The easiest way to get from point A to point B may be a straight line but it may not be the only way.

Another benefit of breaking habit is the opportunity to see things we may have missed. How many of us drive the same path to work everyday? After so much time of doing this there are things we don't even notice anymore because we just assume they are the same. It is not until we take a different path that we realized things that have changed or see something we didn't see before. The same applies in decision making. Until we look at different ways of making decision there are things we may miss along the way.

We still get a successful result when breaking habits of thinking but no telling what else may happen on the way. They say that stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. If our decision making is not working maybe it is the habits we have developed in our decision making not the decision itself.

Collecting Unbiased Data

Collecting the proper data can be on of the most difficult parts of making an objective decision. When someone is collecting data they have an objective that they are trying to accomplish so the data they collect needs to support that objective. Our subconscious does the same for us as some survey takers do consciously. When looking at results of surveys the question is who did the research. When you find out who did the research it can become clear as to why the results of the surveys came out s they did. I think the same can be said about our decision making. If you look at who made the decision you will see evidence of the intentions and/or objective of them.

The challenge for us is to remove ourselves from the process as much as possible so as to limit the influence of our biases or objectives on the decision. Easier said than done but the goal none the less.

Reflective Thinking

Reflective thinking is like a recap process. What worked, what didn't and what needs to be adjusted for next time. Within my organization there are many times of trial and error in starting new programs. Reflecting thinking gives us the tools to look back over the decision making process and analyze what went into the decision. You can get a better grasp of what data was relevant and what didn't need to be used. Who to consider as important contributors to the process and who didn't add to the process.

Reflective thinking not only gives you the tools to analyze your decision making process but also the decisions of others. Reflecting on the decision of others and how they processed the situation can give you a deeper insight as to their thinking style and decision making tools used thus making it easier to know how to relate to them during the next decision that needs to be made.

Does Every Decision Have Consequences?

I do think that every decision has consequences. The challenge is to not think of consequences as only being negative. Every decision has consequences it is just a matter of whether they are positive or negative in nature. Too many times when decisions are made there is no big picture thinking going on. When the big picture is not taken into consideration there is no thought given to the future impact, residual impact or external impact of the decision. Decisions have an impact that are more widespread than they are given credit for. The critical thinking process gives a basis for looking at the information that is relevant to the decision but we need to make sure we are anticipating and evaluating the consequences of the decision also.

Critical Thinking = Perfect Thinking?

Critical thinking does not equal perfect thinking. No matter how careful and precise you are in the critical thinking process there is no guarantee that the decision made will be the right one. Many things can factor into this not least of all is the fact that the information gathered could be invalid. If the information is not validated and unbiased then whatever decision is made from that information is suspect to being flawed.

Another factor that more often than not comes into play is that people make mistakes. Whether it is a misinterpretation of data, compilation of the wrong data or a misunderstanding of the objective of the decision there is a chance for error throughout the process. Any of these can lead to a flawed decision being made and negative results coming from the decision.

Critical Thinking - Time Factor

I do believe that time is the challenge in applying critical thinking skills. Especially in today's culture where everyone is in such a rush to do anything and wants results yesterday. Too many of us don't feel the freedom to really take time and think about decisions we make.

Look at the current housing downturn. How many of us, when we bought our house 5 years ago, sat down and thought about what we would do if the housing market had issues in 5 years? How many of us felt like we had to buy a house at whatever opportunity we had and make the decision quickly or lose out? There are so many factors that affect our time and the ability to make sound and informed decisions suffers because of this. My wife and I have determined that we do not make any big purchase decisions without sleeping on it no matter how good it sounds. If it is truly that good of a deal it will still be there tomorrow and if not then we probably didn't need it in the first place.

Two Solutions, Time Differences, Same Result

Have you ever been in a situation that you have to selected between two potential solutions that you know for sure that both solutions will achieve the same end-result?

These are situations that you sometimes have to look at as teaching opportunities. Many times when you have two options that will both get you the same result the difference is in the timing. One option may get you a quicker result than the other but you may also loose an opportunity to teach along the way. I look at this in relation to a lesson I was taught by a mentor of mine. He suggested that as a parent when doing projects at home you may have a child who wants to help. The project may take only an hour on your own but may take three with the child's help. The decision you have is whether to allow the child to help and teach them along the way or just do it yourself and get done quicker.

I believe we have the same opportunities at work. There are those who we could be teaching along the way and still get the job done but it may take longer or we can just do the job ourselves and be done in less time.