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

Jennifer Franks

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 detail each step within the decision-making process (The University of Massachusetts, n.d.).

The decision-making process is vital for many organizations because it is a continuous and 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. 

a. For Example, The pediatric specialty department has long wait times (greater than three minutes).

b. This step is essential because it recognizes the problem and allows an organization to address the issue. In addition, acknowledging or identifying an existing problem shows that solving the problem will positively impact service delivery. 

2. Step two in this process gathers research 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 essential to collect pertinent information before deciding by focusing on the needed data, sources, and how to obtain it. By conducting this research, the team will have a better perspective on how to address the issues.

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

0. This step is crucial 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 promotes self-assessment and interaction with external sources such as books, articles, and people from within and outside the organization. 

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

1. Example: The leader will discuss with the staff and list the potential solutions to the problem, such as introducing secure messaging, designing a survey to identify bottlenecks, implementing a mobile queue solution, and developing multi-disciplinary protocols (Stephens, 2018) for further discussion.

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. 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 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. 

4. Example: The leader will lead the staff in discussing the efficacy of the listed alternatives/solutions if they are in place.

4. This step is crucial 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 already in steps three and four (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 the best solution or a combination of keys.  Comment by Lynne Croteau: Again… Okay, good. what is the option? Which did you decide on? You need to follow this through… whatever you provided in step 3: “such as introducing secure messaging, designing a survey to identify bottlenecks, implementing a mobile queue solution, and developing multi-disciplinary protocols” you discuss and analyze in step 4 and then decide which one in step 5. So, which one is it that you are going to decide to implement? That is to be used in your example. Comment by Lynne Croteau: A combination of keys?

1. This step is essential 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 decision-making process is step six, implementing the solution (The University of Massachusetts, n.d.). Determining the best solution is a critical step in this process,

1. Example: The best solution for the long wait time is to introduce secure messaging since it enhances efficiency and improves patient satisfaction. Comment by Lynne Croteau: So this is good, and should be in step 4. You implement it here in this step so you may need to discuss how you will implement… perhaps training for staff will take 2 weeks and the option is implemented.

1. This step is essential because it provides a solution to the problem identified in step one. 

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 needed, the step entails evaluating the decision made for effectiveness and improving poorly executed areas. Comment by Lynne Croteau: Why is this step not needed? IT is part of the decision making process. You need to evaluate if the decision made has solved the problem.

1. Example: The team will assess the effectiveness of introducing secure messaging to solve long wait times. They will further analyze its impact on patient satisfaction and the efficiency of the department.  Comment by Lynne Croteau: Good! yes, that was what was missing before.

1. This step is vital because it allows people to re-evaluate their decision and choose from their list of alternatives when unsuccessful implementation stage (UMass Dartmouth, n.d).ALTERNATIVES offers an opportunity for people to gather additional information that can yield better results for their needs.  Comment by Lynne Croteau: Yes, it is vital… so, above, you stated it may not be needed. Comment by Lynne Croteau: This goes at the end of the sentence

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.

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.

Stephens, S. (2018, March 22). Worth the Wait? 15 Ways to Reduce Patient Wait Times. Health E-Careers. Retrieved from https://www.healthecareers.com/article/healthcare-news/15-ways-to-reduce-patient-wait-times

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/

UMass Dartmouth. 7 Steps to Effective Decision Making. Retrieved from 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.