Strategic Decision Making: Stages, Group Dynamics, and Creative Techniques

The Decision-Making Process Stages

Effective decision making follows a structured process:

1. Recognizing the Need to Decide

   The first step is to understand that this is a situation where a choice must be made, and that it is time to choose one alternative.

2. Searching for Information

   Identify all possible alternatives and gather relevant data.

3. Assessment of Alternatives

   Each alternative must be thoroughly examined based on several criteria:

   • The ability to reach attainment of the objectives.
   • The resources required (mobilizing resources).
   • The level of difficulty of implementation.
   • The degree of acceptance by other people who may be affected.
   • Any additional benefits it may entail.

4. Implementation and Review

   Once the decision is made, it must be implemented. If the result is negative, review the entire process to identify where errors occurred or where the process failed.

Group Decision Making

Group Decision Dynamics

Group decision making generally follows the same steps undertaken by a single individual. However, since several ideas are being provided, the process is often optimized, leading to a stronger and better alternative. Conversely, the involvement of multiple parties can also cause the process to slow down or become protracted.

Difficulties in Group Decision Making

Groups often encounter common pitfalls that hinder effective decision making:

• Vicious Circles: Falling into a cycle of endless searching and evaluation, unable to move past the initial phases.
• Premature Solutions: Avoiding early stages and trying to reach a solution without adequately searching for or evaluating alternatives.
• Assessment Obsession: Becoming overly focused on the assessment phase.
• Rushing the Conclusion: Attempting to end the process as soon as possible, leading to thinking and evaluation that is too quick and superficial.

Advantages of Group Work

There are many advantages to group work, primarily stemming from group synergy, which often results in outcomes superior to those achieved individually.

Creative Decision Techniques

Problem Reversion Technique

This technique involves flipping the problem being addressed, transforming a negative statement into a positive challenge, thereby facilitating the discovery of a solution.

The 5 Whys Technique

This method consists of asking "why" five times consecutively to drill down to the root cause of a problem and arrive at a fundamental solution.

Six Thinking Hats

The Six Thinking Hats technique provides six different ways of thinking, ensuring the problem is analyzed from various points of view, significantly enriching its treatment and outcome.

1. White Hat: Facts and Objective Information

   Focuses on facts, figures, and objective realities.

2. Red Hat: Emotions and Feelings

   Focuses on emotions, feelings, and intuition (without justification).

3. Black Hat: Criticism and Caution

   Focuses on criticism, judgment, logic, wisdom, and reflection on why an option might not be good.

4. Yellow Hat: Optimism and Benefits

   Focuses on optimism, highlighting the better parts of the alternatives, and thinking about why an option is good.

5. Green Hat: Creative Thinking

   Focuses on creative thinking, freshness, proposing new ideas and alternatives, and finding new ways and solutions.

6. Blue Hat: Coordination and Direction

   Focuses on coordination, direction of the thinking process, and maintaining the overall vision.