Build Your Management Skills

1. Build Your Management Skills Self-Assessment Exercise: Your Preferred Decision-Making Style 1

2. Decision-Making in Review: • Decision-making is the process of identifying and choosing alternative courses of action. • A decision-making style is a combination of how individuals perceive and respond to information. 2

3. Decision-Making Styles Analytical Conceptual High Tolerance for Ambiguity Directive Behavioral Low Task and technical concerns People and social concerns Value Orientation Source: Based on discussion contained in A.J. Rowe and R.O. Mason, Managing with Style: A Guide to Understanding, Assessing, and Improving Decision Making (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1987), pp. 1-17. 3

4. Characteristics of the Directive Style • Focuses on tasks and technical problems • Considers facts, rules, and procedures • Acquires information through hunches and by using short reports with limited data • Evaluates information by using intuition, experience and rules • Has a low tolerance for ambiguity and needs structure 4

5. Characteristics of the Analytical Style • Focuses on tasks and technical problems, taking a logical approach • Considers every aspect of a problem • Acquires information by careful analysis, using a large amount of data • Evaluates information through abstract thinking, avoiding incomplete data • Has a high tolerance for ambiguity and is innovative in solving problems 5

6. Characteristics of the Conceptual Style • Focuses on people and the broad aspects of a problem • Considers many options and possibilities • Acquires information by using intuition and discussion with others • Evaluates information by integrating diverse data and applying judgment • Has a high tolerance for ambiguity and is very creative 6

7. Characteristics of the Behavioral Style • Focuses on people and social aspects of the work situation • Considers the well-being of others • Acquires information by listening and interacting with others • Evaluates information by using feelings and instincts • Has a low tolerance for ambiguity 7

8. Learning Objectives: Part A • To assess your knowledge of the decision-making. • To give students an opportunity to further explore their decision-making style through analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. 8

9. Instructions: Part A • Complete “Your Preferred Decision-Making Style” self-assessment, submit answers, read results. • Break into groups by decision-making style. • Answer Discussion Questions. • Brainstorm strengths and weaknesses of your decision-makings style. • Reconvene as a class to share observations and discuss. 9

10. Discussion Questions: Part A • What are the strengths and weaknesses of your decision-making style? • How might you interact with someone with a style different from yours? • Do you identify with any of the other decision-making styles? Which one(s)? 10

11. Instructions: Part A (Continued) • Break into mixed groups. • Using previous class discussion, brainstorm in groups to determine “what drives you crazy” about other decision-makers and “things you admire about” other decision-makers. • Share your observations with the class. 11

12. Decision-Making Styles Matrix 12

13. Learning Objectives: Part B • To apply and expand your knowledge of the four decision-making styles. • To work in groups to apply knowledge of the traits found in each of the four decision-making styles to a real-life scenario. 13

14. Instructions: Part B • Break into groups of 4 or 5. • Choose a well-known individual. • Discuss well-known individual and determine his or her decision-making style. 14

15. Discussion Questions: Part B • What characteristics or behaviors does this person exhibit which give him or her this decision-making style? • What are some specific decisions or actions this person has made or committed which exhibit this decision-making style? • Which of the other decision-making styles is this person most like to exhibit and why? 15