TYPES OF DECISION MAKING Two broad categories of the decision making process, Rational and Intuitive

RATIONAL  The most common  General idea is to weigh pros and cons  Usually a series of steps done one after the other.

RATIONAL MODELS  5, 6, 7 step decision making processes  Decision matrix analysis  SWOT Analysis  Pareto Analysis  Critical Path Analysis  Decision Trees

INTUITIVE  The choice is reached usually by an intuitive ‘knowing’ of what the best answer is.  “Gut feeling”, “Follow your heart”  Hearing voices, having visions  Other methods:  Astrology  Crystal balls  Tarot cards  Roll of the dice

COMBINE RATIONAL AND INTUITIVE  The idea is to consider a decision from multiple perspectives  These models use the information in the environment and the inner senses in a very particular way.  i.e. Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats.

5 STEPS OF DECISION MAKING  The stages in decision making can be broadly categorized as follows:  Define the Situation  Generate Alternatives / At Least 3 Options  Information Gathering / Analyze Consequences  Selection / Make a Choice  Action / Reflection(also 7 step and 9 step models)

OTHER TYPES OF DECISION MAKING  Spontaneous – Little deliberation, only make choices as they arise.  Impulsive – Very fast process, little consideration, prone to poor decisions.  Procrastinating – Endlessly putting off decisions, leads to lost opportunity.  Compliance – Gives own power to authority.  Play it Safe – Stays in own comfort zone, life is safe, but boring.  Fatalistic – ‘Whatever will be, will be.’ Has no sense of freedom of choice.

OTHER TYPES (CONTINUED)  Agony – Agonizing over the best choice, often leads to procrastination.  Escape – May make different decisions, so as not to have to deal with the real issues.  Avoidant – Avoiding decisions often leads to more stress than making one, even if it’s a wrong one.  Dependent – Allows other people to make decisions. Ends up living other people’s lives.