The Importance of Perception in Decision Making and Developing Decision Making Skills.

Decision making occurs when one chooses a choice among reasonable alternatives. Perception is a very important component of the decision making system. In a psychological perspective perception can best be described as the process of inquiring, processing, and organizing information necessary to make a decision. Or in other words perception can be scene as one’s thoughts on a situation. When one is in the midst of a decision making situation they need to evaluate all factors involved and make a decision, which will hopefully be reasonable and satisfactory. Decision making is a unique tool that is inquired over the course of time. Students can learn about logic, philosophy, and psychology. They can understand the concepts behind decision making, but they must first have the opportunity to make important decisions themselves to fully understand the process (Randall, 2004, pp. 10-24).

A leadership expert Anthony Robbins said “as a manager, however, your decision not only effects yourself but all the employees on your team. For this reason, it is important to strengthen your own decision making skills and prepare for a time when your decisions will shape the events of many peoples lives” (“Making Decisions”). In the simulation as the newly promoted manager I had the opportunity to assist the senior manager in very important decisions including reprimanding an employee, a hiring situation, to create an employee evaluation system, and look into an ethical dilemma which could make or loss millions of dollars for the company.

Each of these situations requires perception to take a route to the final decision making process. “Management in organizations today is largely people management. If people are the important asset, effectiveness is related to:

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• how managers perceive the individual
• how people relate to one another
• how we get maximum contribution
• how we go about changing from a situation which is seen to be ineffective to one that ensures high standards of performance”(Randall, 2004, p. 46).

Today we will evaluate the situations these three situations and examine perception in the decision making process and how the perception from a new managers viewpoint could effect these decisions (“Making Decisions”).

The first situation involved Mark, a long term employee who had been tardy for work for the past week. There were many different decisions that could be made to come to a conclusion about Mark’s tardiness including, bring this to the attention of Mark’s coworker and ask their thoughts on the situation, checking Mark’s employment records, check all employee time records, speak with Mark individually, or take this to Sarah for advice. In this instance I believe it is best to speak to Mark by himself and see what is going on. Bringing undesired attention to an employee by a manager is never a good route to go so this should be avoided at all costs.

Also taking a trivial problem to a manager can be looked down upon. At this point after one week of tardiness sneaking a peak at the records might be helpful but going straight to the source is the best decision as we all have personal issues that arise. Plus by informally addressing Mark you are letting him know he can come to you and that you can see eye to eye on some matters. It is important to build relationships with employees (“Making Decisions”).

The decision to hire the interviewee, Berk, is an important decision for the company. Berk carried himself well during the interview, had enthusiasm, and similar skills to those needed in the near future. Although Berk did a great job in the interview all of his abilities and skills need to be evaluated to ensure he is right for the position. In this situation I perceived Berk as highly intelligent and skilled. I did not look further to realize his skills are not what the company needs. I let my impression of Berk steer my perception of his eligibility for the job in a positive way. This is important to not in decision making situations. Perception may not always work in your favor (“Making Decisions”).

Creating an employee evaluation system as a reward system is a great idea. Employee evaluation should include job performance, attitudes, helpfulness, dedication, and team work abilities. The perception of how valuable an employee is to a company can be skewed for many reasons. The creation of an effective evaluation system will greatly contribute to seeing employees for what they truly achieve for the company. I believe that this six step system will greatly help reward the best employee (“Making Decisions”).

The last decision is one of ethical nature. An employee has come to me to let me know she has secretly obtained the designs of our biggest competitor. If we take the designs we will have the opportunity to create something better and make more money than our competitors. The downfall is getting caught. This will cause a multimillion dollar lawsuit and will destroy the company as we know it. Although the idea of making lots of money is very attractive it is necessary to take a breath and step back to evaluate this situation. Perception is very important in this decision making process as perceived success and wealth can ultimately alter a reasonable persons decision making abilities.

All aspects of the perceived or likely consequences of acting on this offer need to be taken into consideration before a decision can be made (“Making Decisions”). There are ten values the core of ethical understanding; “caring, honesty, accountability, promise keeping, pursuit of excellence, loyalty, fairness, integrity, respect for others, and responsible citizenship. When put into practice, these values generate widely recognized virtues that provide benchmarks for ethical decision making” (Guy, 1990, p. 17).

Perception constitutes everything necessary to make a decision. Perceived values and prior experiences help give one insight into the types of decisions they choose to make. Perception of situations can be influenced in either positive or negative ways. Having a mentor such as Sarah giving constructive feedback with each decision helps my views on each situation become clearer. Managers make decisions based on perception of people, influences, and support system around them. Perception of all of these concepts is vital.

References

1. Guy, M. E. (1990). Ethical Decision Making in Everyday Work Situations. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Retrieved March 25, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=15127472
2. Randall, J. (2004). Managing Change, Changing Managers. New York: Routledge. Retrieved March 25, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=107489181
3. "Making Decisions in Business Situations." Western International University. 26 Mar. 2007 <http://corptrain.phoenix.edu/wiu/mgt340/launch01.html>.

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