Hello readers! This week we are looking at solving problems
analytically and creatively, as well as building relationships by communicating
supportively. Today’s blog entry is about my decision making style.
We were asked to view a video that provided us with a list
of descriptors, each supplied in pairs that were antonyms of each other. The
words described decision making styles and we were to pick the word out of each
pair that we believed was closest to our style.
Here’s the list: Cautious or risk-taking, intuitive or
logical, self-motivated or influenced by others, rational or feeling/emotional,
active or passive, and quiet or assertive. County (2012)
I chose cautious, intuitive, self-motivated, rational,
active, and quiet. For clarity, the opposites of my choices would be
risk-taking, logical, influenced by others, feeling/emotional, passive, and
assertive.
Would there be any benefits to making decisions using the
opposite approach to what I think I do, or of some level in-between the ends of
the spectrum? I believe there is and that each of us does so regularly. I do
not carry a checklist of these styles that I pull out when facing a decision. The
choices I made above are more of the way I lean when the situation presents itself
and it’s apparent I am to be the sole decision maker. Doesn’t happen often, but
it does happen.
The business I am in can have serious, even fatal,
consequences. As a colleague likes to say, “It’s not dangerous, but it can be.”
That leads me to be cautious. I’ve been in aviation for over twenty years,
which allows me to follow my intuition. I do tend to err on the rational side
of the situation, again, due to the consequences that I often face. I am not a
big believer in assertiveness, preferring to lead by example. However, there
are times when I have to be direct and assertive, and will do so.
Given the opportunity to do so, I look for inputs from other
members of the group, and I expect I will be influenced by some. I often ask
how people feel about a situation, not just what they know, too. Our intuition
and feelings can provide valid insights.
Overall, it is rare that one stays all the way to one end or
the other of something as complicated as decision making. As part of our
reading this week, I learned more about looking at the opposite side of a
problem or solution to break down mental blocks to idea conception. Janusian
thinking (Whetten & Cameron, 2011,
p.198) and brainstorming for opposite terms (Swinton, 2015) are tools I am
trying to use at work, and have noticed some of my colleagues doing so as they
go through the day. I like the idea of intentionally reversing the polarity of
the situation to see what it looks like. I may not find what I am looking for,
but if I can define its opposite, maybe the answer will be easier to identify.
See you next time!
County, S. M. (Producer). (2012, August 25,
2015). Exercise: Decision Making Styles. [documentary] Retrieved from http://digital.films.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/play/7A2UTV
Swinton, L.
(2015). 3 Creative Brainstorming Activities, Games and Exercises for Effective
Group Problem Solving. Retrieved from http://www.mftrou.com/creative-brainstorming-activities.html
Whetten,
D. A., & Cameron, K. S. (2011). Developing
Management Skills (E. Svendsen Ed. 8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
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