Decision_Making_Style

| Decision Making Style Term Project | [Type the document subtitle] | | Timothy A. Rutherford | 6/26/2011 | [Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document. Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document.] | `The decision making assessments were very informative. My preferred decision making style is Behavioral and that is also my highest style. I think that in order to deal with people you have to take them into your consideration. In all of these situations everyone is there to do a job. You should not have to crack a whip in order to get someone to do theirs. You should be able to explain what they are to do and make sure that they understand and let them do it. If they choose not to that is their own choice but they are willing to pay the consequences. It would be positive for one with the behavioral style to flex with directive style. I know that I could use more of the direct and to the point approach, without becoming a power monger. One does not have to be every ones best friend nor do you have to treat them like cattle. It would be beneficial for me to be more organized. The directive style seems to me to be somewhat of loose cannon. This type of manager has a tendency to look for mistakes and someone to blame them on. I have had a manager who is always looking for someone to chew up and that is what makes them happy. I think that any manager is going to be more effective if he uses a blend of all of the styles. They all have their good and bad points. Anyone is all a style would have trouble being effective. A manager who is all directive will end up with employees who hate him and will want to turn on him. I would think that he is likely to have a great deal of turnover. This would not look good for him. Or he will have production problems. Someone who is all behavioral is likely to be a push over and have employees running over him. He is also likely to have production problems. The analytical style seems to be much like the directive only with a better education. This seems like a person who is not so much a power monger but thinks that no one else is smart enough. The conceptual style is very similar to the behavioral only much more loose. This manager would have trouble making decisions because he is too busy making sure that every possible situation or outcome has been considered. He is always looking for the perfect answer rather that picking one and moving on. My score for the decision making skills assessment is 39. This states that my skills are moderate. Consulting with others before making a decision is beneficial. It only makes sense to consult with the people who are doing a job to consult with them on decisions about the job. The assessment also states that I need to learn to trust my intuition. In the business world there are not always hard facts or data that we can use to make our decisions and we must rely on our gut instincts. I need to make sure to identify the problem before I can come up with a solution. In order to identify a problem you must gather as much information as possible. This would be in the form of hard data and also consulting with employees, customers and other people who may have information, such as suppliers or venders. Falsely identifying a problem could be both costly and time consuming. Another way of solving a problem is brainstorming. This is a way to get the input of many people in a short period of time. This also opens up people to think outside the box and find creative solutions. The next assessment is the Communication Style Under Stress. According to the assessment I tend to behave in four ways, masking, avoiding, withdrawing and controlling. These are defiantly things that I can work on in crucial conversations. There are seven skills needed for effective stressful communication. The first is Start with Heart. This means that you need to control yourself and stay focused on the topic at hand. Don’t let yourself get too emotional. The second is Learn to Look. This is to be aware of what is going on during the conversation and how others are reacting to what is being said. Make sure that someone else is not shutting down or withdrawing. The third skill is Make It Safe. This means that both parties are working toward a common goal or outcome and both mutual respect. Skill number four is Master My Stories. This basically means that when you start to feel emotions that may be inappropriate, you tell yourself a story to stifle the feelings. This has to do with you reacting to what someone else does or says. This lets you decide if your feelings are valid or not. The fifth skill is State My Path. This gives you a way to deliver a tough message and lets you keep on track. The three steps are, share your facts, tell your story and ask for others’ paths. Also make sure that you talk tentatively and encourage testing. The sixth skill is Explore others’ paths. This is basically looking at an issue from the other side. The seventh skill is to Move To Action. This state’s how decisions will be made and when they will be put into action. Who does what and by when' It makes all of the deliverables clear. When to follow-up and record all of the information. It also states who will be held accountable. According to the assessment the dialogue skill that I need to work on is Explore Others’ Paths. The assessments are very educational. I think that they are mostly accurate. I tried to answer the questions as honestly as possible. This does let me know where my strengths and weaknesses are and how to improve them.