The Art and Science of Decision Making

Decision making is, necessarily, choosing from alternatives. We are almost constantly making decisions. Some of them might be effective, while some could go wrong. In organisations, decision making is considered one of the primary responsibilities of a manager. Many important decisions relating to resource allocation, appointment and deployment of human resources, investments, products etc., require a lot of planning. Managers make strategies to achieve organisational objectives and goals. Wrong decisions can adversely affect a business. Quick and correct decision making helps in saving resources. Some decisions are required to be taken individually, while others have to be taken collectively as a group, depending on the situation, circumstances, complexities and resource availability. Decision making plays a vital role in managerial functions; namely; controlling, directing, planning and organising.

Have you ever wished you had taken better decisions in life? Have you ever regretted your decision? Do you wish to know the skills of decision making?

If the answer to any of these questions is “Yes”, then this course is for you.

Week 1: What is Decision Making?

i. Definition and concept of decision making

ii. Importance of decision making

iii. Individual decision making

iv. Individual decision making styles

v. Group decision making

vi. Group decision making styles

Week 2: Decision making process

i. Rational decision making

ii. Assumptions in rational decision making

iii. Three Cs in decision making – Conflict, Consideration

and Closure

iv. Hidden traps in decision making

v. Common errors in decision making

Week 3. Decision Making Skills

i. Information gathering

ii. Ideation/ Brainstorming

iii. Creativity & lateral thinking

iv. Decision analysis

v. Intuitive decision making

vi. Critical thinking

vii.Problem Solving

Week 4. Ethics in Decision Making

i. Importance of ethics in decision making

ii. Ethical principles

iii. Ethical choices