A Analysis of Rational Decision Making Model

This paper looks at the main issues faced by decision makers, analyses them, presents alternatives and makes recommendations based on the analysis.

Managers within organizations are faced with the challenges daily of making excellent decisions. In everyday life we are challenged in making sound decision, decision that will last for a life time. Folk often wonder after making a decision if it was the right choice, will it affect the people around me, was this a good choice for my family, and will the decision affect them. In order to be an effective manager you have to possess the skill of outstanding decision making skills. In order for one to be successful within their personal life they may also need to possess an understanding of effective decision making. The decision- making process should be one that makes a positive change. Can the decision making process work

Most of us have to make decisions from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed at night. Answering questions like what should I eat for breakfast, can I make that yellow light and should I go to the gym or go out for pizza all require us to make a choice or a decision (Robbins, S.P., Judge, T.A., 2009). At work I am challenged with collaborating with managers and other leaders to make decisions based on scenarios and events that occur in the hospital.

The decision making process includes cognitive processes that eventually lead to a choice in action while taking into consideration the alternative possibilities (Allen, Dorozenko, & Roberts, 2016). Not all choices have to lead to an action. The values and preferences of the person making the choice also comes into play when making the final decision. Problem-solving to obtain a certain goal or satisfactory by a solution is the main reason people go through the decision making process (Stefaniak, & Tracey, 2014). This process has many factors that end with one final result or solution. The decisions made can be rational or irrational and can be determined by explicit or tacit knowledge (Qingyao, Dongyu, & Weihua, 2016). Since the decision making process can be very difficult at time, psychologists have viewed the process in different perspectives to get a better understanding (Rossi, Picchi, Di Stefano, Marongiu, & Scarsini, 2015). The different perspectives include; psychological, cognitive, and normative or communicative rationality.

Decision-making in the workforce is a process of responsibilities used by upper management to implement, enforce rules, regulations, and maintain a successful environment. Decision-making implemented more effectively by making a plan, thinking it through, accepting more than one opinion and determining what is best. However, decision-making often utilized more effectively by opening doors of opportunities for a suggestion, question, discussion, and feedback. Although, more involvement helps improve understanding, utilize behavior skills and present opportunities for better communication. Everyday life consists of decision-making, the right decision may not always be applied, but ensure room for improvement and opportunity. Individuals approached decision-making in many different ways. As stated by (Jones, Graham, & Bateman, 2006) decision making is a procedure used to recognize a problem, weigh the alternatives and evaluate a solution in which, certain situations will require different approaches to become effective.

A rational decision implies that a qualitative and considered thought process was undertaken in order to reach an optimal outcome. Although there are defined rules that add structure to the rational decision making process (Tripathi & PNP 2007; Williams, & McWilliams 2013), according to contingency theory and with respect to the rationality paradigm, there are limits to which an optimal outcome is realised (Morgan 1986, p. 167; Schoonhoven 1981, p. 352). External factors such as government, customers, competitors and suppliers all impose their constraints that influence the final decision. Contingency theory suggests that the final decision is ultimately determined by the organisation’s overall objectives coupled with real world limitations, and consequently all rational decisions take the form of bounded rationality and therefore should be considered suboptimal (Todd & Gigerenzer 2003, p. 144; March & Simon 1958, p. 269). However, there is another view that considers rational decisions made independently and unbounded will become optimal, or more accurately stated, maximising the expected utility (Von Neumann & Morgenstern 1944).

Decision making is defined as "the cognitive process leading to the selection of a course of action among alternatives" (Decision Making, 2006, para. 1). Decisions are made continually throughout our day.

Top-level executives and key managers are at the helm of the decision-making process with the focal point being selecting the best choice. Selecting the best choices or alternative of choices derive from assessments, interviews, surveys and audits that evaluates the strategic position of the selected choices. Consequently, the chief executive officer at some point should show how the middle-managers, front-line managers, employees and client fit into the decision-making process.

Decision-making is critical to a business helping mitigate risk and requires good judgment, considering social, humans, and ethical values before final decisions are made. Additionally, making good decisions enables organizations to identify and resolve problems, also providing organizations with the ability to identify and exploit opportunities.

First, under this step managers must recognize that a decision is needed and identify the problem to be solved. A problem is typically a difference between the actual situation and what is desired. However, managers often act without understanding the problem to be solved or define the problem in terms of a proposed solution or in terms of its symptoms. For example, in response to employee complaints about salaries being too low (a symptom), managers might define the problem as a comparison of salaries to industry averages (SagePub, 2008). However, the true problem could be that the total compensation package, including benefits, does not suit the demographic characteristics of the firm’s employees.

As stated by Prasad (2008), the managers should identify the different choices available in order to get most acceptable outcome of a decision. From searching different alternatives the managers can evade blocks in operations as choices are suitable if a particular idea goes wrong. Khanka (2000) expresses the view that selections can developed from in many ways such as can get from sources like experience, do training other organizations, and take others ideas and suggestions related in problems. Furthermore to improve alternatives solution the managers may investigation the signs of a problem for clues or fall back on intuition or result that stated by Griffin and Moorhead (2010). For an example in marketing department a non-programmed decision is compulsory the manager have to produce alternatives for raise market share. As McShane and Von Glinow (2000) pointed out that in a programmed decision is a standard operations is not to generate choice but can take out from the documented that already saved. Next an organizer should search the mission of a decision. In other words they need to define what is to be accomplished by it (Quick & Nelson, 2013). The decision criteria are important as mentioned by Dubrin (2002). The several criteria are consumers must aware of varies in quality of products, there not happen inflation, workers must consider the quality of improvements and lastly job satisfaction should not be reduce.

Thinking critically and making decisions are important parts of today’s business environment. It is important to understand how the decision making process works and the steps involved. The nine steps of the decision making process are: identifying the problem, defining criteria, setting goals and objectives, evaluating the effect of the problem, identifying the causes of the problem, framing alternatives, evaluating impacts of the alternatives, making the decision, implementing the decision, and measuring the impacts. (Decision, 2007.) By using various methods and tools to assist in making important business decisions an individual can ensure the decisions they make will be as successful as possible. In this paper it

Decision making can be described as a process of making a decision or decisions, based on choices made amongst two or more competing course of actions. The ‘Decision making’ also requires making a define choice between two or more alternatives course of actions that are available.

Many methods have been developed to simplify the decision making process. In this paper, the rational model of decision making will be discussed first. Then, some of the factors that cause deviation in the rational

This report will discuss about the approach to rational decision making process. It discusses how an everyday problem faced by management can be tackled by using