Decision Making Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decision Making - Research Paper Example The first stage of decision making according to Arkansas program is establishing a community within which the decision is to be made, this stage involves building and strengthening relationships between members of the community, norms and procedures that influence how problems are perceived and communicated within the group, this stage can take place before or during the time a problem is identified. The second stage is the perception phase where an individual recognises the fact that a problem needs to be solved. Interpretation is the third stage of decision making that involves explaining the specifics of the problem and identifying the issues that may have caused the problem. Judgement is the fourth stage that involves looking at other options that are available to respond to the problem and then choosing the option that will solve the problem satisfactorily (Baghbania et al, 53). Motivation involves analysing the issues that may make an individual choose a less effective solution and then prioritise the solutions based on the expected results. The next stage is implementing the best solution to the problem; the solution that is implemented should have the ability to avoid the hurdles that may arise in the implementation process. The seventh stage is reflection in action, this stage involves analysing the problem solving process and making appropriate adjustments to improve effectiveness of the solution selected. The final stage in the decision making process is reflection on action which involves determining whether the solution solved the problem adequately; this is done by examining the consequences and the expected outcomes of the solution. Example of decision-making An administrator in a hospital that admits patients in critical condition can be faced with a problem of getting one of the patients off a life support machine since he is unable to pay the bills or to continue letting him use the machine while his unpaid bills rise. In solving this problem, the administrator will be aware of the case by being informed by other medical practitioners who have direct contact with the patient. The second action that the administrator would take is ascertaining whether the patient is indeed unable to pay the cost of using the machine. The administrator would then try to find out why the patient is unable to pay the bill, whether it is due to genuine lack of money or negligence by his relatives or the financiers of the hospital bill. The administrator would then decide on the alternatives to take regarding the patient, which may include putting the patient off the life support machine or allowing him to continue using it although he cannot pay the bill. The administrator may decide to put the patient off the machine since there is a minimal chance of survival for the patient and his hospital bill is high which may be hard to recover. Before switching off the life support machine, the administrator will consider the issues may arise from his decision such as morality of the action, legal opinion on euthanasia among others and then prepare to handle them accordingly. The next

Explaining the relevance and importance of mentoring and counselling Essay

Explaining the relevance and importance of mentoring and counselling roles in the workplace - Essay Example It is a way in which an affirmative change in the employees are brought about and thereby transfer of valuable knowledge takes place from the mentor or the guide to the particular employee. Both Companies and their management find that this method is extremely favourable for the employees in terms of career growth (Robbins, 2003, p.56). Thus every organisation tries to implement this process in their day to day operations. In every workplace, the management feels that it is necessary for the employees to boost their potential and enhance their skills so that they can deliver better performance and can in turn increase the productivity of the company. It often happens that the employees have a lot of hidden potential. It is just that they need to be upgraded with certain skills. Often they have to be groomed according to the organisation culture and several issues relating to performance needs to be solved by the management. If the management feels that a particular employee requires this kind of grooming or training his areas have to be assessed and the company would recommend him for mentoring programme. The mentors would generally be someone from the managers or the supervisors of any team who would have prior experience about the work and how it should be done. Each department may also have a special coach delegated for that department. Differences between Coaching and Mentoring Applications of Coaching and mentoring are varied over different areas of business. Though the goals of both coaching and mentoring are the same that is to maximise the potentials of the employees for the benefit of the organisation, yet there is a subtle difference between the two. The chief aim of coaching is to improve the performance of the employees. The final performance is of utmost importance. On the other hand, mentoring is more inclined to grooming of an individual in a personalised way and it is more inclined towards personality development of the individual. The person wh o coaches a team has a definite agenda in his mind while undertaking the process (Bachkirova, Jackson and Clutterbuck, 2011, p.187). The mentor on the other hand would behave like a facilitator who would mould the individual in the way he wants to but there is no specific agenda that the person will remain confined to. Coaching in a workplace is related more to productivity at work and the career growth of the employees. Mentoring on the other hand stresses more on self reflection of the individual employees. Hence the bonding with the mentor is even better defined. The duty of coaching is generally assigned by the organisation to someone who holds much a higher position like a manager. The mentor is someone who would be able to influence the mentee in a deeper way and the person who is being mentored has to treat the person as a guide and have to have a personal acceptance in the matter. Coaching is provided to the employees so that enhances in individual performance would help in the growth and the development of the organisation. The mentor often looks forward for feedback from the employees which may contribute to the development of the employee as well. Hence the mentor has a scope of getting personal returns as well. There is a prospect of mutual knowledge exchange in this context. The system of coaching is mainly applicable to a team development in an office and a handful of people may come under the