HSA5500CBE Section 01CBE Healthcare Leadership and Human Resources (11 Weeks) - CBE - 2021 Fall Quarter Deliverable 04 - Healthcare Leadership Skills Deliverable 04 - Healthcare Leadership Skills

The Decision-making Process

Student's Name Comment by Lynne Croteau: Make sure to put your name on the assignment.

Rasmussen College

HSA5500CBE: Healthcare Leadership and Human Resources

Dr. Lynne Croteau

Date: October 28, 2021

 

The Decision-making Process

Decision-making refers to making choices by identifying an appropriate decision, gathering information, and assessing alternatives. The process comprises various steps that enable an individual to determine the best course of action or select the best option out of different options. It allows managers to assess and set specific actions in motion to realize set objectives (Azemi, Zaidi & Hussin, 2018). During this particular assignment, I will assume the role of the Vice President of Human Resources at Wynn Regional Medical Center (WRMC) and facilitate a workshop on problem-solving and making wise decisions. I will create and distribute handouts to attendees to enable them to refer to the information. In addition, I will create a diagram that illustrates each step of the decision-making process. The assignment will give a brief description and importance of each of the steps in decision-making.

Fig 1. Decision-making Process

Note this diagram will details each step within the decision-making process (The University of Massachusetts, n.d.).

The decision-making process is a vital part of many organizations because it is a continuous and therefore an indispensable component of managing organizations. In most organizations, it is a consultative affair carried out by experts who can drive its functioning. Organizations use the decision-making process as a check and balance system that ensures it grows linearly and vertically. A team of experts in most within the organizations' assists, the decision-making process increases people's participation and provides an organization with more alternatives (Wong et al., 2018). The process also improves the quality of decisions and thus strengthens an organization. For example, in the case of complaints of long wait times for a healthcare call center, a participatory approach to the decision-making process can significantly yield high-quality decision alternatives that can further strengthen the organization. 

Understanding Each Step

1. The first important step in this participatory decision-making process is identifying the issue (The University of Massachusetts, n.d.). At this stage, there is the realization that there is a problem, and thus it is a crucial step in making decisions. 

1.  For Example: The pediatric specialty department has long (greater than three minutes). Comment by Lynne Croteau: Finish the sentence…. Long what? Wait times.

1. This step is important because it recognizes the problem and allows an organization to address the problem. Recognition or identification of an existing problem shows that solving the problem will positively impact service delivery. 

1. Step two in this process gathers research is conducted on the particular topic (The University of Massachusetts, n.d.). It is crucial to identify when the problem began and explore whether other areas have a similar situation. It is also important to collect pertinent information before deciding by focusing on the information needed, its sources, and how to obtain it. By conducting this research, the team will have a better perspective on how to address the issues.

2.  A good Example: The leader will speak with staff answering the phones to gather information on the topic.

2. This step is important because it encourages in-depth research, which will yield the best sources of information for addressing the identified problem. Since it involves both internal and external work, it encourages self-assessment and interaction with external sources such as books, articles, and people from within and outside the organization. Date specific issue or problem has Identifying a specific issue or problem and gathering information is also important since it provides opportunities to clarify options to correct it. Comment by Lynne Croteau: This sentence does not make sense… read it out loud. What do you hear? Are you paraphrasing this from some place?

1. The third step is brainstorming potential solutions (The University of Massachusetts, n.d.). As one collects information from various sources, one may encounter various possible paths of action or alternatives.

1. Example: The leader will discuss with the staff and list the potential solutions to the problem for further discussion. Comment by Lynne Croteau: What would be some possible solutions? List them.

1. This step is crucial because it provides an opportunity to list all the possible and desirable solutions when there is a clear understanding of the problem. It, therefore, helps to identify the best possible cause of action to take on an issue.  

1. The step of going over the data obtained from brainstorming happens next to present options (The University of Massachusetts, n.d.). There is an in-depth evaluation of whether or not any of the alternatives can resolve the problem identified in step one at this step. The process of will provide a more in-depth look at how each option will resolve the issue and impact the department (Tancig, 2009). As the team weighs the evidence from their research, they assess the effectiveness of each solution identified in step three. 

a. Example: The leader will lead the staff in discussing the effectiveness of the listed alternatives/solutions if they are in place. Comment by Lynne Croteau: You have two examples here… which one is it? This step is to review the supporting material. Based on what you brainstormed, do you need any other supporting material?

0. Example: The staff at the call center will discuss amongst themselves the effectiveness of the listed solutions.

0. This step is important because it allows people to draw on their emotions and the information gathered and imagine selecting a solution to the problem. It, therefore, enables people to focus on alternatives that have the highest potential of resolving the problem. 

1. Then in step five, deciding the best option from the possibilities researched and brainstormed in steps three and four have been completed (The University of Massachusetts, n.d). A decision must be determined for the problem to be solved (Tancig, 2009).

1. Example: Once the team has weighed all the available evidence, they will be ready to select what is the best solution or a combination of solutions. Comment by Lynne Croteau: Okay, good. So, what is the decision? Which did you decide on? You need to follow this through… so, go back into the brainstorming and provide at least three ideas and then discuss in step 4 and then decide which one in step 5.

1. This step is important because it generates the best possible solution to the identified problem in step one. Since it occurs after complete exhaustion of all the available evidence, it prioritizes the best solution to the problem. 

1. One of the last steps of the final steps is step six. Implementation of the solution (The University of Massachusetts, n.d.). Determining the best solution is dec, implementation is a critical step in this process,

2. Example: Hiring more call-center to reduce the long wait times. Comment by Lynne Croteau: Make sure to put this in your step three as part of your brainstorming. Then if this is what you were going to implement, share that in step 4 and 5. Comment by Lynne Croteau: Call-center workers

2. This step is important because the problem identified in step one can finally be taken care of by management.  Comment by Lynne Croteau: Well, let’s hope. You still have to evaluate it in the last step.

1. The last step in the decision-making process is evaluating the decision made (The University of Massachusetts, n.d.). In this step, considering the results of implementing the solution is necessary to determine whether or not it was successful. Even though this step is not always as important, the step entails evaluating the decision made for effectiveness and improving poorly executed areas.

3. Example: The team will evaluate the effectiveness and consequences of the implemented decision and identify areas that need improvement. Comment by Lynne Croteau: Yes, but what are you evaluating? You are evaluating if the call times decreased due to you hiring more call center workers.

3. This step is important because it allows people to re-evaluate their decision and choose from their list of alternatives when the implementation stage is unsuccessful. This offers an opportunity for people to gather additional information that can yield better results for their needs.  Comment by Lynne Croteau: Sounds like you are paraphrasing from some place… cite it!

Following Each Step

The step-by-step guide for making decisions is advisable since it yields reliable and thoughtful decisions by organizing relevant information and defining alternatives to the problem. It also increases the chance that one will choose the most satisfying option for their identified problem. However, it is not mandatory since issues vary in complexity and may not require collecting information from different sources.

Conclusion

Decision-making is one of the most critical management tools for organizations. As a continuous process, it acts as a check and balance system that ensures that organizations grow in all directions. It follows a seven-step process that includes; identifying the issue, gathering research, brainstorming solutions, reviewing supporting materials, choosing from available options, implementing the choice, and finally evaluating the decision. Although it is not mandatory to follow these steps due to the varying complexity of problems, the step-by-step guide increases the probability of generating reliable and thoughtful decisions Comment by Lynne Croteau: Punctuation needed.

References

Azemi, N. A., Zaidi, H., & Hussin, N. (2018). Information quality in an organization for better decision-making. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 7(12), 429-437.

Tancig, S. (2009). Expert team decision-making and problem-solving: Development and learning. Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems, 7(2), 106-115.

The University of Massachusetts. (n.d.). Decision-making process. https://www.umassd.edu/fycm/decision-making/process/

Wong, Y. Y., Chow, I. H. S., Lau, V. P., & Gong, Y. (2018). Benefits of team participative decision making and its potential to affect individual creativity. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 48(7), 369-376.

1. Identify Issue

2. Gather Research

5. Make a Choice from Options

6. Implement Choice

7.Evaluate Decision

3. Brainstorm Solutions

4. Review Supporting Material