Characteristics of effective versus ineffective decision makers

¶ … Bad Decision Makers

Comparing and Contrasting Good Decision Makers

According to Chapter 2 of Organizational Behavior (2006) by Stephen Robbins and Timothy Judge, individual perception of any given situation invariably affects the individual decision-making process. Thus, a clear appraisal of the situation, and clearing one's mind of perceptual biases as much as possible is one of the most important parts of becoming a good decision maker and leader. A good leader is not above his or her emotions, but a good leader does not make purely emotional decisions either. Rather, a good decision-maker creates a clear process that solicits a variety of input and perspectives, and only then sets a clear and decisive course for the organization. A bad decision maker will go to either extreme, either act as an autocrat, assume that his or her own perspective is all that matters, or, in contrast, be so democratic that the overall objective of the organization is not clear, and fractiousness and organizational disharmony is the result.

A good leader and decision maker knows what motivates people to do their best. This is not necessarily money. In fact, "people who earn $80,000 are, on average, no happier with their jobs than those who earn close to $40,000," (Judge & Robbins, 2006, p.87) Often, the greatest motivating force is encouraging people to feel part of the decision-making process. "To make the best of decisions, you need to encourage the critical thinking and information sharing skills of your staff members; if these skills exist already, you simply need to provide an environment that encourages staff members input. Information needs to be shared and alternative actions analyzed. For the best decisions, that is, those based on the best available information and with the most support from your staff, you need to develop some level of consensus." (Schachter, 2006, p.1) bad-decision maker creates an environment where input is stifled and thus channels new ideas into seething resentment. However, a bad decision-maker also, according to Debbie Schachter of Information Outlook, creates a free-for-all environment, where opinions are solicited without explaining to everyone how these decisions will be considered by the organizational leaders and put into action. People may expect their decisions to be put into immediate action, and if they are not, then again, resentment and a lack of unity are created within the organizational fabric.

Democracy is important, but also effective praxis. "Remember, consensus is not about everyone agreeing on one idea, but in ensuring that the process to reach a solution is universally understood to be valid. It is support for implementing any action or resolution that is key to its success. You are interested in not only the best possible solution, but also the one that will be most successful in implementation, through communication and consideration of the impact on all staff members." (Schachter, 2006, p.1)