Problem Solving and Decision Making Workshop: A Self Reflection

I found the workshop on Problem Solving and Decision Making not just useful but also interesting. When we graduate and find work in organizations as Human Resource (HR) managers, we will be faced with many situations on a daily basis that will require us to make sensible, accurate and fair decisions. It could deciding which person to hire, which supplier to use, or which strategy to pursue, but the ability to make a good decision with available information is vital. To be able to do this we need to understand the processes of decision-making and how one can try to eliminate bias while doing so.

Over the course of the day, I learnt that in order to make good decisions, …show more content…

Being aware of these limitations of group decision making can help HR managers.

As a final point, I understood that most decisions come with a set of organizational constraints and we take shortcuts to reach a conclusion within the set time frame. We usually are biased evaluators and let our perceptions get the better of us. Some common ones Robbins (2010) points out are anchoring bias, overconfidence bias and hindsight bias. As HR people, we are also responsible for many other people in the company and sometimes what we say/decide or forecast can affect the business and the people in many ways. Hence, it is important to be careful in the decision making process.

Personal Developmental Plan

* Over these next 10 months, I would want to improve my decision making skills by analysing all possible options before I make a decision. I have a tendency to go with the first solution that arises but after this workshop I realised that the best ideas come after considering all possible opportunities. I think this will really help me once I graduate and start looking for a job. I need to decide what I need from the job and if the organization culture fits with my personality. For this I need to be more geared to make sensible decisions than just look at the location and pay level.

* Apart from the learning’s I take from this workshop, I plan to be part of thought showers with my course