A632.1.4.RB – Multistage Decision-Making

Hock & Kunreuther (2005) defined decision making as a process that is critical when we accept something less for something more.  Whenever I make a decision may it be personal or professional, my first instinct is to define the purpose of the need for my decision.  Purpose helps me to focus my thinking and accomplish my goal.  For example, the primary objective why I am pursuing my Master’s Degree in Leadership is to enhance my knowledge and skills as a leader, and develop my skills in critical thinking. 

Right now, I am confident that I am and have been a good leader professionally and personally.  But there were times that I found myself judgmental to the people that I work with or even to members of my family.  One time, one of our HR Generalist criticized my decision of going far and beyond in assisting our physicians updating their personal information i.e. address and phone number in the system.  We have a self-service system which means employees can log on to their account and make those type of updates themselves.  But our HealthCare Physicians are used to seeking my assistance.  So I did a case in what we call “the Hub” to request the change.  I did not realize that our HR Generalist was standing outside my office and she heard everything.  She said, (with a smile) “Elvira, why do you have to entertain those types of request?  You are supposed to refer them to Shared Services (our corporate HR Administration).  Besides the physicians can do that by themselves.  You are letting them waste your time.”  Then, she left without waiting for my response. 

At first, deep inside I was a little bit insulted and wanted very badly to follow her and give her a piece of my mind.  I wanted to say, “What do you know about excellent customer service?  You assist employees with a smile, but when they leave, you always have something negative to say about the person.”  But, as I have been disciplining myself, I always pause and think carefully before speaking, especially during the times when I know I am upset.  I cannot let my emotions override my decision-making.  Thirty minutes after calming down, I gave our HR Generalist the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe she was not criticizing me. Instead, she was just trying to critique how I use my time.  I have too much on my plate, and I need to pick and choose what I can do and what corporate can.  I never did bother to ask what was the purpose of her approached.

Based on my upbringing, my decision making and assumptions has always been influenced by my values and cultural beliefs.   An excellent example of an assumption I made was since growing up, I have observed my mother treated our household helpers and driver like members of our family, I assumed that my friends’ mothers and fathers are treating their household helpers the same way.  But I discovered that my assumption was very wrong.  During my visit at one of my friend’s house, their household helpers were not allowed to eat at the dining table where the family regularly eats.  The helpers have their own kitchen which was what we call in the Philippines a “dirty kitchen,” ironically.  They have to cook different food for their consumption.  They are not allowed to touch the food that they served with my friend’s family.  That day, I felt minuscule in front of those individuals who are serving my friend’s family.  I was very embarrassed on how they were treated.

            The things that we believe, even if we have no verification that it is the case, and the conjectures we have about reality are what we are taking for granted.  We must then be more intentional in our decisions of the things that we want to take for granted.  We cannot just fabricate and make assumptions because it is the easiest way out. For us to enable ourselves to make consistent and accurate determinations, conclusions and or decisions, it is of utmost importance that we have the correct and valid information.  Information can be accumulated through our own experiences, observations, or viable data, statistics, and from anything that is specific and is substantiated. 

            We need to find a systematic way in collecting our information.  The information needs to be fair-minded, justified and vigorous.  Gathering facts and information was the step I made in selecting the best university to enroll in and pursue my master’s degree.  I have researched at least 4 different universities i.e. Saint Mary’s of the Woods College, Walden University, Regent University, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  At the end of the day, the courses that are offered at ERAU conform more with my purpose and goal.

Before determining if pursuing a Master’s Degree in Leadership is more to my advantage rather than a disadvantage, I did different research and explorations of the effect it would have on my personal and professional life.  Will I have enough time to a lot of school work; will I be able to continue to perform in the workplace at a 100% level; and will I have enough time to maintain a strong bond with my husband?  I have talked things through with my husband, as well as with my supervisor regarding my purpose and goal.  I also did a lot of research into what will the outcome be when I become successful in my pursuit.  The answer was, the benefits outweighs the impediments.

            When I decided to go back to school and pursue a master’s degree, there were times that I felt that I am over-doing things.  I’m losing my precious time of relaxing since I have to do school work when I get home from work instead of my usual glass of wine and television.  But thinking deeper, whenever I read my class materials and expand my research, I am gaining more understanding and perspective about leadership and how to be an excellent leader.  I gained broader perspective and outlook on how to be a different leader and exceptional individual.  It makes me ready to tackle any complexities that come my way.

According to Hoch & Kunreuther (2005), dynamic programming is an approach to resolving a multistage decision where an idea is being exploited regardless if it involves a wide array of various stages.  The heuristic technique applied with dynamic programming in the decision-making strategies in reaching an optimal dynamic decision.  We will just have to be very cautious since it may cause a bias and prejudice on our part.  We have to aware that just because a particular decision we made in the past worked, it does not mean that it is going to work in the present situation. 

I believe that the previous decisions I made can strategically improve my current decision-making skills and forward planning for the future.  Self-anticipation that my past experiences are essential for my future decision-making is intrinsic.  Finding a balance between heuristics and the optimal dynamic decision can be very beneficial in predicting the future impact of my current decision-making. Moreover, trusting my intuition in the formulation of my decisions can affect in predicting the future change.

Reference:

Hoch, S. J., & Kunreuther, H. C. (2005). Wharton on making decisions. (1st edition.).

Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.