Decision Making for Managerial Effectiveness

The great French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre said: “Men are not created but create themselves through their choices.” These choices are rooted in and stem from decisions we make. In order to become high achievers or managers aspiring to become effective leaders, we must understand how to make optimal decisions. It is even more important to understand how not to make suboptimal decisions.

Most often, when managers make decisions, they are not aware of the subtle influences that underpin the decisions they make (or do not make). Therefore, understanding decision making extends beyond discrete “decisions,” to how individuals both frame and set the context for decisions, within themselves and within their teams and organizations. This programme seeks to fill this critical gap by exposing participants to different perspectives of how decisions are made by individuals, groups, and organizations in the real world context.

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVE

i) Appreciate the complexities of individual, group and organizational decision making processes, and be able to gainfully apply above knowledge and understanding to day-to-day professional and social environments, and in managing crises

ii) Become more aware of decision biases and their pitfalls, and be able to work out strategies to guard against these

iii) Gain an understanding into relationship between organizational performance and decision making, and the importance of building an organizational culture of mindfulness to prevent critical organizational failures

CONTENT

The programme shall expose participants to how framing, biases, motivational influences and escalation of commitment creep into decisions we make. We seek to understand how decisions made by smart and responsible individuals and groups can sometimes lead to organizational failures and disasters, that can affect the destinies of thousands of people. We also try to understand how humans try to make sense of complex situations they may be called upon to deal with, and what strategies leaders and managers employ to deal with these complexities, uncertainties, and crises. Understanding this will help managers and leaders make better and more creative decisions in their organizations.