317 Responses
Post #1
Amanda Powers
My results from week 1 and week 8 are outlined in the table above. A few of my scores remained primarily the same to include thoroughness, hesitancy, and social resistance. Some scores increased slightly to include control, principled, and instinctiveness. Finally, the score that increased the most for me was optimizing. In total, my score increased from 84 to 93 which is a total of 9 points. Specifically, I think my scores that increased are primarily due to this class. I think this explains the increase in my optimizing score and the others. The idea of finding alternatives, not settling, and checking for bias are practices that have had an impact on me (UMGC, n.d.). Within the quiz, I think there are a few very defining questions. For example, questions 15 askes "do you carry on looking for something better even if you have found a course of action that is just about OK?", and I believe this reflects a very important decision-making skill which is not to settle on an alternative but to look at many alternatives and do thorough research to find the best option (UMGC, n.d.). A second question I believe is important is number 10 which asks "do you change your mind about things?". I believe this question shows the decision-making skill of being able to assess yourself for bias and be able to change your perspective on a decision. This is important because if your thought process is impaired by bias this can impact the quality of your alternatives. The questions I scored lowest on were number 18 "do you avoid taking advice over decisions?", number 11 "do you take the safe option if there is one?", and number 4 "do you stick by your decisions come what may?". In regards to these questions, I believe the skills that I can work on is to make sure that if I am making an important decision that I do not necessarily take the safe option, but consider all alternatives for the best option (Applying The Process for Making Decisions, n.d.). I think the other two questions are very circumstantial and taking advice can be a good thing in some scenarios and bad in others. It is important to make the right judgment call in the moment on whether to take advice (Introduction to Quality Decision Making, n.d.). I am also capable of hearing advice without thinking that I have to take that route of action. Additionally, if circumstances change it may be necessary to change my decision and I believe that it is not always best to stick to your decision "just because". References
Applying The Process for Making Decisions. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2019, from https://www.universalclass.com/articles/business/applying-the-process-for-making-decisions.htm.
Decision Education Foundation. (2019, May 24). It's Your Choice - Sound Reasoning. Retrieved December 4, 2019, from https://www.decisioneducation.org/its-your-choice-episode-15.
Introduction to Quality Decision Making. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2019, from http://create.usc.edu/sites/default/files/publications/m01howa624601sec01.pdf.
UMGC. (n.d.). Week 4: The Decision-Making Model, the Cornerstone to the Decision Process, Affords the Decision Maker a Rational Approach to Making a Decision. Retrieved November 19, 2019, from https://learn.umuc.edu/d2l/le/content/420504/Home.
Post #2
Jacob Spear
Final Results Initial Results Thoroughness 20 16 Control 21 25 Hesitancy 13 9 Social Resistance 10 9 Optimizing 8 7 Principled 4 6 Instinctiveness 6 7 My scores shifted significantly over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, the majority of the categories went the wrong way. However, I believe that my negative trends do not represent decreased decision-making abilities. I think the results represent a less biased opinion of myself. Before this class, I thought I was a good decision maker because I have spent over six years in the military, and I am used to the military decision-making format. This class opened my eyes to new ways to systematically analyze problems and make more effective decisions. So, I would contribute the negative categories to a more accurate representation of myself. I would also say the improvements are based on my better understanding of how to make a decision, which improves my confidence and efficiency in making them. The questionnaire features several questions that directly reflect the skills needed to make effective decisions. Those questions include; Do you like to consult with others? When you find one option that will just about do, do you leave it at that? And is your decision-making process logical? The first question, do you like to consult with others, shows how willing you are to collaborate. Collaboration is one of the best ways to eliminate biases in decision making. Biases are ingrained into us and affect practically every decision we make (Bauman, 2014, 0:30). It is essential that we at least understand our personal biases and mitigate them as much as possible. USC Marshall School of Business recommends that we do this by collaborating with others and think critically about everyone’s response. Other people can provide a new perspective on a situation that can help overcome some biases, but it is essential to remember that groupthink can occur as well. The next question, do you find one option that will just about do, do you leave it at that is important because if we settle early, we may have not thoroughly explored the problem. When you decide between one or two alternatives, you risk falling into the either-or trap. The either-or trap occurs when you do not consider the full scope of other options that may be available (Decision Education Foundation, 2019, p. 1 para. 15). Even if one decision looks like it may solve the problem, it is vital to spend the time, if available, exploring all the possible alternatives to ensure that the final decision is the most effective one for that situation. Finally, is your decision-making process logical may be the most critical question on the questionnaire. If your decision-making process is not consistent, the likelihood of you thoroughly analyzing all the alternatives is slim. Decision making is the result of problem-solving, which is regarded as one of the most complex cognitive tasks humans undertake, and decision making is a process that helps facilitate that (Universal Class, n.d., para. 24-26). An organized decision-making process is necessary to analyze and eventually solve problems systematically. An unorganized process will result in ineffective solutions that are sometimes effective, but more often have less than optimal results. The biggest skill I need to work on is my instinctiveness. I often find myself second-guessing myself and doubting the decisions I already made. This can be beneficial early in the decision-making process but is less than ideal in the final stages. Second-guessing may help identify more alternatives to explore, but as I conduct research and come closer to making a final decision, I need to trust my instincts. Once a decision is made, I need to be confident that I made the best choice based on the information I had. I can improve this trait by consistently applying and trusting the decision-making process. After I have more success with the process, my confidence will grow, I will become more efficient, and will learn to trust my instincts more.
References
Baumann, P. (2014, June 18). Cognitive biases 101, with Peter Baumann [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK0GYBTNx5Q Decision Education Foundation. (2019, May 24). It's your choice episode 11. Retrieved from https://www.decisioneducation.org/its-your-choice-episode-11 Universal Class. (n.d.). The structure and anatomy of a decision. Retrieved from https://www.universalclass.com/articles/business/the-structure-and-anatomy-of-a-decision.htm USC Marshall. (n.d.). How to reduce bias in decision-making. Retrieved from http://info.marshall.usc.edu/faculty/critthink/Supplemental%20Material/Reducing%20Bias.pdf