Career Preparation Edge - Making Decisions at Work

It is possible to use a decision making process for any decision. Please select the best answer from the choices provided

True

Most people are very sensitive to risks and therefore will avoid them whenever possible. Please select the best answer from the choices provided

True

One advantage of the decision making process is that it helps to weigh options.

True

When a person is unable to make a decision because they have no way to process and weigh the risks and rewards in front of them, they are said to have _____.

C. Analysis paralysis

What does it mean to consider logic when prioritizing tasks?

Considering logic requires understanding which tasks need to be completed first in order to allow other tasks to become possible to complete. Setting priorities using logic assumes that it will just make sense for some tasks to be completed earlier.

When you organize the order with which you will complete your tasks, you are _____.

D. Prioritizing

Which is the most important step of the decision making process? Justify your answer.

Defining the decision is most important because without framing the issue, there can be no decision made. Analyzing your resources is the most important because your decision cannot be considered effective if it requires resources you do not have access to. Identifying your choices is the most important because you cannot actually decide without choices, you would have to do one thing. Gathering information is the most important because information is essential to the shaping of a consensus on a decision. Without gathering more information once the choices have been made, the decision making process will grind to a halt. Evaluating choices is the most important because it is where each decision is actually weighed and considered. This step has to be included for a decision to actually be made. Making a decision is the most important because it is the culmination of all the other choices. This is the step the other steps exist to support. Deciding how to implement decision is the most important because a decision has no weight unless you choose to go though with it.

The first step in the decision making process is to consider your resources. Please select the best answer from the choices provided

False

What are the disadvantages of using grid analysis to help make decisions?

Grid analysis can be inaccurate if each consequence is not weighted properly. This can occur when the decision makers are not able to accurately measure the severity of a consequence, or when a decision maker changes weights to reflect their preferred course of action. It is also possible that the grid analysis will fail if all of the possible consequences are not considered. In any case, grid analysis is a tool, and cannot be 100 percent accurate.

When using a grid analysis to weigh your options, how can bias be introduced?

If the person performing the analysis wants one of the choices to succeed, they may choose inappropriate weights for each of the consequences, subtly skewing the results in favor of their choice. They may also exclude certain consequences in order to sway results.