Decision-Making Process Paper
People make decisions in their everyday lives. Some decisions are easy to make, while implementing others is quite difficult. An appropriately organized and controlled decision-making process will help with these issues and bring positive outcomes for all involved. The decision-making process may become challenging for people due to “the lack of structure and entail risk, uncertainty, and conflict”(Bateman and Snell,2012, p.86). These challenges can be avoided by using an appropriate model for solving important personal and professional decisions. Bateman and Snell identified six stages of the decision-making process that can be used to solve any problems or decisions.
The first step is to identify and diagnose the problem. The problem that existed for me was that I really wanted to go back to school after being medically retired from the United States Army. I had been in the Army since 2005 and really did not know much else ...view middle of the document...
I had to evaluate the distance of the school to my home and the hours the classes would take during the day. I would also have to see if I could find a baby sitter during the hours I would need. The hours most traditional colleges keep, would cause me to be away from my children a lot and I really did not want that. Some of the colleges did not offer the degree programs I was interested in.
Making the choice is step four of the decision-making process. After considering all the possibilities of which school to attend I chose the University of Phoenix. I would only have to attend class one night a week and the classes change every 5 weeks to keep things interesting. This school also worked because my husband would be able to keep the children while I am at school. I chose to study business with the hopes of one day opening my own business.
The fifth step in the decision making process is implementing the decision. Sometimes the decision is made but no action is taken. For me, I took action and filled out the essential paperwork to sign up for a business degree program. I also discussed what I expected from each member of my family on the nights I was at school and the nights or days that I would need quiet time to do schoolwork. My family and I came to an agreement of planned quiet time for everyone during the times I need to do schoolwork.
The last step is evaluating the decision. This step involves gathering information to see how well the decision is working. My family and I sit down at the end of each class to discuss what changes need to be made to keep my attending school go smoothly. Sometimes it’s as simple as cooking dinner early on school nights. But sometimes it is more difficult situations like time restraints for schoolwork because a child is sick or in the hospital.
My decision-making process is very similar to the one described in the text. My mother always taught me to evaluate things in this manner. Some decisions are quickly made and some take a longer time to move through the process. I use the same decision making process as the one in the text, so my decision wouldn’t have been any different. These steps helped me to make the right decision for me and my family. I now attend the University of Phoenix and I enjoy coming to school here.
