In a
past MSLD course, I’ve learned a lot about understanding and dealing with
complexity in the workplace. Unlike the past, today’s businesses are complex to
the point that there’s too much information for a single leader to handle. As a
result, most organizations follow that of a polyarchy: where everyone has some
sort of leadership role and interact with one another to get the most their information
(Obolensky, 2014). Whether we’re dealing with a generally complex situation,
multiple stakeholders or environmental-related decision-making, the key is
gathering as much information as possible.
Information
doesn’t necessarily mean written documents or data, but it could also include
information from other people. According to Obolensky (2014), different levels
of an organization tend to have different kinds and amount of information. In his
study, he finds that approximately 60% of the information required for
decision-making is found on the bottom level of an organization versus 30% in
the middle and 10 on the top level (p.37). As a result, he concludes that it’s
important for ones to encourage communication (including external stakeholders)
to make more effective decision-making (Obolensky, 2014).
In my organization, listening is
perhaps the most commonly used tool in dealing with all three types of decision-making
processes. As an advisor, most of the listening components occur during
advisement with my students. Rather than making the decisions myself, I take my
time to listen to ensure my decision-making is compatible with the student. For
example, many of my students are full-time students and workers. Since many of
them also travel for their jobs, it’s very important for me to understand and
implement their schedule when recommending courses. In some instances,
listening can also be a learning opportunity: where I can use the new
information for future decision-making. However, it is important to keep in
mind that word-of-mouth may not always be the most reliable source of
information and should be supported with other sources of information.
To obtain information in general, I
often rely on the help of an assortment of Decision Support Systems (DSS). As
Hoch (2001) states, DSS can be used to minimize the human element in
decision-making in addition to using it as a power tool or to complement or
hide weaknesses (p.100). Since some of my decision-making explanations are
confusing to students, I rely on the help of information available throughout
university websites and programs. For example, if I’m recommending a student to
take electives for the upcoming term, they often ask me what classes they could
take. Rather than verbally listing the courses (especially if there are over 10
plus choices!), I show and explain the courses to them. This is critical since
simply throwing information is often times confusing and overwhelming for
students.
As Hoch mentioned, evaluating
behaviors can be a handy tool for decision-making. Aside from student
advisement, I occasionally pay attention to what’s happening outside my campus.
For example, the Boeing Company is perhaps the most commonly observed external
stakeholder. With more than 90 percent of our students being Boeing employees,
any changes that occur within the company could have little to huge effects for
my campus. As of now, the company is focusing on employees with business and
management backgrounds. With that in mind, I usually study information about
our business and management degrees. When the company announces a new plane
model, the focus will likely shift to engineers to help build these planes. The
positives gained from these observation is an enhanced understanding.
References:
Hoch, S. & Kunreuther, H. (2001). Wharton on Making
Decisions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex Adaptive Leadership: Embracing
Paradox and Uncertainty (2nd ed.). UK: Gower Publishing.
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