All Decision Making Styles
Can Use Help

All decision making styles involve selecting the best course of action among multiple possibilities. Some styles require techniques and decision making tools to assist in the decision making process, while others do not.

When you have to work things out by yourself, you can benefit greatly from the use of decision making software tools, to meet decision making challenges .

Decision Making Styles

The styles can be “loosely” grouped as follows:

Intuitive Style

Some people are spontaneous by nature and like to decide “on the spot”. Experience and circumstances may sometimes support this type of problem solving approach. However, those who consistently use this style are – admittedly – comfortable with the “trial and error”, or “hit and miss” approach.

Limited Procrastination Style

Not to be confused with never wanting to make a decision, this style involves the delaying of a decision until enough factors have been evaluated and/or enough time has gone by for the situation to stabilize.

Systematic Style

Involves identifying and evaluating each possible course of action. Of all the decision making styles, this is obviously the most likely candidate for computer based decision making tools.

Individualistic Style

Some individuals prefer to research and arrive at a decision on their own, without any active input from others.

By Consensus Style

Applies to decisions that have to, or should preferably, be arrived at as a group.

All, except the more “spontaneous” decision making styles, can advantageously make use of time tested decision making techniques and tools.

The Circumstances

For the purpose of this article, I will consider decision making under two main circumstances:

• problem solving
• creativity process

Problem Solving Requires that you:

• know something of the main aspects of the problem to be solved.
• know something of the main avenues of solution.
• are willing to input truthfully, honestly, and as objectively as possible your own evaluation of each element of the problem, and of the possible avenues of solution.

The Creativity Process Requires:

• open mindedness
• willingness to explore any possibility, even if seemingly “far fetched” or ridiculous.

It is often necessary to let unbridled creativity get you out of a rut or a seemingly inescapable situation. Few decision making tools and techniques can be adapted to the creative process, regardless of decision making styles.

Decision Making Techniques

Here is my short list of some of the most commonly used under most decision making styles.

• Decision Trees – one identifies options, branching out of an initial bipolar choice to make, by projecting likely outcomes. The limitation of this technique lies mainly in that it forces you to address the problem from only two possible avenues of solution right from the start.

• The Pareto Analysis – is a technique to let you get the most “bang for the buck”! It is based on the Pareto Principle whereby you must identify which actions will let you get 80% of the possible positive results by doing only 20% of the work. It is known as the 80/20 rule.

• Pros & Cons – one lists the advantages and disadvantages of each possible decision and attempts to identify the best possible outcome whereby the advantages outnumber the disadvantages.

• PMI – is a variation of the Pros & Cons technique adding a third possibility called “interesting” (plus/minus/interesting).

• Six Thinking Hats – This technique can help reduce some of the shortcomings of any one of decision making styles. Edward De Bono wrote a book, titled “Six Thinking Hats”, about this very powerful technique back in 1985. I will not attempt to describe the technique in detail. It is still available in paperback.
  
  I will just say that the technique lets you take a cold hard look at a problem from six different “angles”, or distinctly different points of view.
  
  When you are a small Web entrepreneur, running a home based business all by yourself, you can use the “Six Thinking Hats” to effectively simulate a group of knowledgeable specialists, all collaborating and contributing to solve your problem! Like I said: very powerful.

You might want to have a look at these decision making model choosing tips!

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Tame Complexity

All the most commonly used techniques in use today have advantages and disadvantages. Some of the more simple (simplistic) ones even have severe limitations, regardless of decision making styles.

When faced with a tough decision to make, in complex situations, you have to use a combination of at least two or three techniques to obtain useful and meaningful results. This can lead to additional complexity that can hinder more than help problem solving.

This is why you need to use reliable decision making software to manage the countless possibilities and combinations.

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