Decision Making and Problem Solving Course

Module 1: Environmental Considerations

• Define decision making vs. problem solving, how the two processes interweave, and why organizational climate and stakeholder perceptions matter.
• Compare individual and group decision making; consider styles and preferences (e.g., left/right-brain thinking and Vroom–Yetton management decision styles) and map key stakeholders and communications.
• Spot and prevent groupthink; run effective meetings; use questioning and facilitation techniques to surface assumptions and views.
• Apply ethics to choices—core values, quick self-tests (law, harm, newspaper, child, smell), major ethical frameworks, and the PLUS filter.

Module 2: The Process

• Follow an eight-step method: define the problem; set vision/objectives; generate options; assess merits; set strategy; decide; build an action plan; evaluate outcomes.
• Use practical tools for Steps 1–4: problem statements, Five Whys, visioning and SMART(S) objectives, brainstorming and cause-and-effect, criteria tables and force-field analysis.
• Plan strategy and assess risk (likelihood, impact, tolerance), and watch for hidden decision traps (status quo bias, anchoring, echo chambers, framing, and “hostage to the past”).
• Make and socialize the decision with Vroom–Yetton questions and tools such as multi-voting, consensus, and weighted “merits matrix”; recognize information-processing styles with DecideX.
• Execute through planning tables and mind maps; communicate progress; close with outcome evaluation, lessons learned, and a formal close-out report.