A632.9.3.RB - Role of Emotion in Decision Making

From a personal perspective, I think it is very difficult to separate emotion from rational thinking when it comes to making decisions of great importance. I am not stating that I think it is impossible, but it is not a skill that everyone can master with ease.  Those individuals who have mastered the techniques are often referred to as cold hearted and other not so nice terms.  What must be understood in the business world is that those in charge have a loyalty to the organization first and to the employee second.  The business world would like to think that leaders and managers use the rationally optimal path or conform to certain managerially defined terms of rationality, when it comes to decision making.  In a perfect world, these same decision makers research and weigh all pertinent information when making decisions, and at the same time, avoid emotionally filled personal hunches, preferences or that almighty gut feeling. With all the information I have provided, I have a deep belief that, emotions are something that cannot be controlled so easily.  In a perfect world, reasoning and emotion should be balanced and the two should serve as two complimentary systems in the decision making process.

On numerous occasions I have fallen to the process of using emotions when it comes to decision making.  Earlier in the course, I discussed my internal struggle of my future education endeavors.  The issue here is I have always had a deep emotional desire to complete doctoral program with a concentration of leadership.  Because of my work schedule, I was faced with the choice of enrolling in doctorial programs for in which I felt no passion or emotional connection.  I did not want to complete the doctoral program for monetary gains, it would be more of a personal accomplishment, however, from a rational perspective, any one of the doctoral program would have benefitted me financially in the future.  There were several emotions I felt throughout this decision making process; frustration, confusion, anger and hopelessness.  I was not able to enter a doctoral program of my choice for various reasons which were heavily influenced by emotions.  Instead, I entered my third Masters Degree program with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.  When everything is said and done, I still do not feel satisfied with my choice and feel I had to compromise on my dreams of success.  At the moment I am not sure if I have regrets on the decision that I made.

Another situation that comes to mind was when my family had to purchase our last home.  We were face with numerous decisions and everyone was looking at me to be the leader in this situation.  Decisions, decision, decisions!  Issues that had to be evaluated were price, locations, taxes, local schools, neighborhoods and so on.  When you say information overload “information cascade at its finest”, this is a perfect example.  All of these factors had nothing to do with emotion, or at least the influence of emotions was limited in this situation.  For such a situation the one thing that was not needed was to become emotionally attached to a home that did not fit the needs of the family or the overall budget; thus rushing in to a decision that we may regret later.  When looking back, the amount information received sometimes seemed overwhelming and the majority of data supposedly grounded in facts.  At the end of this journey, I went with a home that fit our overall tangible needs.  There were several homes that blew my mind on initial viewing; and would draw the average buyer in instantly.  Despite my frustration and initial confusion, the final purchase actually seemed to be the right choice.

For each scenario, there were a number of emotions that either influenced my decision or I had to keep in control.  For the educational decision making process; frustration, confusion, anger and hopelessness all played key roles as I was seeking to accomplish a personal endeavor. For the home purchasing decision making process; fear of failure, frustration, sadness, surprise, and acceptance all played key roles.  For this situation I had to understand that the final decision influenced other stakeholders.  As I look back at the weekly discussion forum for this module, I can clearly state that the students all shared some of the same emotions in various situations.  As many of my peers stated in this week’s discussion, a lot of their decisions were based on emotions, fueled by friend, family, or co-workers.  While on the rational side, the emotions were controlled and decisions were made based on fact or experience or sometime a combination of both.  What was learned in this module is we are all more alike that we realize.  Each of my peers may have different experiences and describe their situations in different words, but the foundation of the decision making process is the same. 

A632.8.3.RB - Reflections on the Cynefin Framework

I do not think Cynefin is a new process, I just believe it is now defined and categorized for simplicity.  I can definitely see the Cynefin framework providing a new perspective for decision making by exploring new techniques.  From a personal perspective, I feel I look at different perspectives of a situation, not just my own.  By using the Cynefin framework, I must now consider it’s a broader range of implications when faced with the decision-making process.  Another aspect of this thinking process is it allows for the analytical analysis of cause and effect relationships that are not always apparent. Cynefin framework can benefit my decision-making because I can determine the best solution process by using each quadrant when I am trying to understand and address a specific problem. I have considered many ways I can use his framework in the future. 

For simple contexts, I will have a clear understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships that is general knowledge to the stakeholder around me.  However at the same time I must be careful of complacency; when things are going smooth, be ready to respond to dangers. 

For complicated contexts, I must address situations that may contain multiple right answers, which I have experienced (expert diagnosis) on numerous occasions in different roles and levels of leadership.  As a person in a leadership position, I have to take into consideration my analytical thinking process and my experience level of dealing with particular issues. For me to improve the opportunity of success, this includes surrounding myself with experts that can benefits the organization.  

 The third quadrant of complex contexts requires me to have the ability to look deep into a situation, because thing are not always what they seem.  History has proven that fact are indisputable, however they may not always provide the answer we seek in certain situations.  In such situation patterns may prove more valuable in the decision making process.  Depending on the situation, there can be many correct solutions and those answers may be influenced by many unseen influences.   The key here is patience where I need to use self-reflection. 

The last quadrant is Chaotic Contexts, and in its most basic definition is unpredictable.  There are no patterns due to the fact that things happen that are beyond our control.  The key here is how I, as a leader, adjust to gain control of the situation and move forward.  This included providing clear, unambiguous communication to stakeholders.

Two decisions that I have recently made were both based on my educational endeavors; one was to continue with a graduate course and the other was to enroll in an education program at a different university.  The decision to continue with a course of online education statistics for which I was not properly prepared so it totally caught me off guard.  It definitely was categorized under that of the complex and/or chaotic quadrant.     It was complex because I did not necessarily have the prerequisites to understand the concepts and due to the fact that it was online, I did not have a professor handy for assistance.  Within the first two weeks, I found myself frustrated and confused. The decision I had to make was chaotic because I had to act quickly or I would have to repay funding for the course.  The situation was very complex because the instructor told me I could pass the course, but it would require me to do a lot of studying to catch up with the rest of the class.  Beside that I was not sure how much learning I would gain from the course at this point.

The next scenario involved me deciding on a graduate degree program.  For this process, my decision was both knowable/complicated and known/simple.  It was complicated because I was uncertain as to whether or not my choice would benefit me personally and/or professionally (likely not both) and whether or not there would be any negative consequences for my actions since I really desired to complete the PH.D program because I was not sure if another masters degree would truly satisfy my professional development desires.  It was simple because I knew what options were available to me and what the direct results of them would be over time.  At the time, I had a clear understanding of the implications of my decisions and which have aided in my decision-making process.  Now that I understand the cynefin framework, I may have to reconsider my decision and reevaluate my current degree program.

I feel that are numerous ways I can improve on my decision making skills, with my newly learned information.  The new techniques will allow me to become a better leader in both my personal and professional life: do not rush my decision making process; assuming the situation is simple at face value, allow time for self-reflection and get opinions from outside individuals, put emphasis on the importance of communication, ensure all parties share this thought process, do not be afraid to look at unorthodox options to address issues ( think outside the box), encourage interaction between stakeholders, and do not become the lone ranger where you are the only one who makes decisions. 

A632.7.4.RB-Collaborative Decision-Making

Reflect on the role of collaboration and getting to resolution in the process of decision-making. In today’s business world, even the most productive groups of individuals’ experiences some type of conflict.  Very seldom will you find collaboration without some degree of conflict; which is not necessarily a bad thing.  There are times when leaders will make major decisions without assistance, but as a whole, this is rare.  Leaders have to take into consideration how their decisions affect the stakeholders around them.  However, when they do make decisions by based only on their perspective, there is a propensity of having a myopic vision of the situation.  When we have such a myopic view, we tend to do what is best for us, ignoring those around us.  As simple as this sound, we must also keep in perspective that some conflict problems are too complex for an individual to handle alone.  A smart person will use collaboration as an opportunity to gain more insight on the conflict. Leaders need to understand the advantages of using collaboration.  When individuals seeking out collaboration, they understand that there is a increase in overall skills, knowledge, and information gained will strengthen and bring credibility to their role as a decision maker.  The textbook contained an interesting statement of how we must look for a vessel that is large enough to hold and satisfy all the concerns that each person has in a conflict situation.  However, as I have mentioned before, many times we must take the utilitarian approach when looking for a resolution.  Rarely, if ever, do our decisions affect only ourselves. Consider the importance of getting other stakeholders involved; how can they help you make a better decision for all?  Personally, I feel the very nature of collaboration invites a clash of personality types, conceptual thinking processes, ethical differences, and disagreements on how to define what is the ultimate objective and how to achieve it.  Collaboration when used correctly moves stakeholders away from the old traditional way of thinking; thereby, redefining decision making power as control or domination towards a definition that invited shared authority.  Leaders no longer operate in a vacuum; collaboration helps eliminate difficult barriers, increases opportunities for success, enriches the change process, and creates a shared vision for resolution. The bottom line is positive collaborative decision-making impacts many members of any organization; providing a unified guidance in a desired direction.  Last, but not least, by getting other stakeholders involved; it can help identify up questions or concerns that may have been overlooked.  Detail a specific situation where you are faced with the decision, describe the process you went through and the outcome you were seeking.  In 2007, I prepared to retire from the Air Force and had to make a decision on where I wanted to live.  I knew this was a big step because there were several issues I had to take in consideration before I made my choice.  In making my decision, I had to consider the opinions of the various stakeholders – immediate family, parents, friends, job opportunities, cost of living, schools districts, taxes and many other items.  This was an internal struggle that went on for over a year.  Normally, I am the type of person that takes pleasure in making all important decisions.  This was a decision where I had to depend on others stakeholders for assistance.  For this situation, I put my ego to the side and welcomed the input of others.  Identify 5 ways stakeholder involvement can help you make better decisions.  From this experience, I will identify five ways stakeholder involvement can assist in making better decisions:  (1) I had to consider other parties perspective, not just myself.  (2) A friend who had already retired gave me good information on what I should consider when looking for employment.  Because of this I did not experienced as much stress and was did not feel overwhelmed while looking for employment.  (3) I had to create a clear vision for my entire family using all stakeholders input.  (4) By talking to outside stakeholders, a lot of the unknown questions I had were answered.  (5) This collaboration process provided valuable experience to learn from; both bad and good.  Did you achieve your objective? As far as a place to retire, the answer would be yes, however as far a career opportunities, that chapter of the book is still open.  Looking back at the decision you made and its consequence was there anyone else that would have added value to the process? I am pretty sure the important stakeholders were involved in the decision making process.  If I had to repeat the process all over, I would do everything the exact same way. Identify 3 ways you may use this learning experience to make better decisions in the future?  (1) I would seek and appreciate the opinions of others. (2) I would try not to have a myopic view of the collaborative decision-making process.  (3) I would try to have a shared vision that everyone can appreciate; the inputs of others can be very beneficial for all stakeholders involved in the collaboration process.

 

A632.6.3.RB - The High Cost of Conflict

Reflect on a personal or business situation in which the cost of conflict was significantly greater than you would've preferred. Analyze the situation in relation to Stewart Levine's 10 principles of new thinking (p. 46). How would this have changed the situation? Could it have reduced the cost of conflict? What lessons did you learn from this exercise?

In my previous leadership position in the military, I was second in charge for a large training center.  My primary duties were addressing staff and facility needs and during absence of my boss I assumed his duties also.  My particular story deals with my feeling that I was doing more work than I was required to.  The person I worked for was going through some personal things with his family and was starting to spend a lot of time away from work.  Every morning and evening, I would find his work on my desk for me to complete.  This kept on for many weeks straight without an explanation.  I was given very little advance notice regarding the situation and how long this would continue.  I don’t think I was upset with being given the duties; I think I was more upset with not getting the credit or the title that went with the duties.  My boss at the time would show up for the important meetings with senior management, but delegated the everyday tasks to me.  At the time, production was good and we did not have any drop in productivity and he was still receiving all the credit although he was not at work. To compound the situation, I became upset and instead of having a sit-down conversation with my boss and his boss, I decided that many of the duties I was assuming were not my responsibility.  All of a sudden, the office missed a couple of deadlines and production began to decline.  The bottom line is my senior boss had a closed door conversation with me about what was happening so he knew I was angry and he wanted to know why I started to let things slip.  His rational was that he knew what was going on and he also knew I could handle the new responsibilities.  This was his process of transitioning me into the new position; however, I let the situation affect me emotionally and professionally.  The job of number two is to take care of number one.  Normally, I would have been fired, but I was given a second chance and I went on to be very successful in the position.   

Stewart Levine's 10 principles of new thinking could have played a very significant role in the way this issue was addressed.   The first new principle of abundance clearly demonstrated that I possessed a myopic view of the situation at the time.  I clearly could not see beyond my own need at the time.  The second new principle should have been addressed and I should have re-established a previously strong partnership that benefited the unit.  The third principle of creativity was a step I clearly failed at.  Here, I let emotion take over and failed to see the assets I had around me to handle the increased responsibility.  The fourth principal of new thinking is fostering collaboration.  However, I could not foster collaboration because I was blinded by frustration and anger.  My boss and I had previously had a very good working relationship and I let that relationship weaken when I became angry.  Communication, communication, communication it is the only true way to address a situation and is very important to the fifth principle.  My failure here was that I did not explain how I felt about the situation or my perspective of the situation.  My thinking at this point was very old fashioned as I became very isolated from others at this point in the situation. Principle six of forming long term collaboration was overcome with anger and emotion.  My old style of thinking was only about the short term goal…me getting credit for my work; I failed to look at the long term collaboration of taking care of the mission and proving that I could handle the extra responsibility.  It is clear, in this situation; I was basing my actions on logic and not any type of emotion as identified by principle seven.  Logic told me that if I did the job I should be given all the credit…right.  Well, I was very wrong.  I should have seen how my pride was hurt and I was taking the situation personally.  Principle eight of new thinking is on point as I should have disclosed information and feelings about how I felt about the situation to my boss.  Information he had would have eliminated the conflict I had.  Learning throughout the resolution process is something I definitely needed to understand.  Principle nine identified my old thought process of me being right and winning in this situation by trying to prove a point.  Last but not least is principle ten; becoming responsible.  Here I should have dealt with the situation head on and held myself accountability for my part in the conflict that I initiated because I failed on many levels of Levine's 10 principles.  Without a doubt these new principles would have been a successful tool for resolving conflict.  From this educational endeavor, I have learned to take a different look at the traditional ways of dealing with problems.   My eyes were opened to see how these principles could have changed the process and the resolution of this conflict; if anything just to change my mind frame of thinking.

 

A632.5.5.RB - Protected Values in Decision-making

This assignment made me really examine some of my values and what they mean to me.  While examining the protected values I chose, I had to scrutinize why these values meant so much to me; or even consider whether or not I really supported my values as much as much as I thought I did.  In relation to the Dan Gilbert video, “Why We Make Bad Decisions” as they relate to my identified values, there is an in-depth question of how far am I willing to go to support those value?  Do these values provide me some type of gain and what are the odds of me gaining anything by taking a stance in support of them?  In The Brain activity, I was able to map out three of the more important protected values.  No, I do not think these are the most important values in my life, but they were ones that related to the course work.   For this list I chose, freedom to protect private property against imminent domain, employee discrimination and corporate outsourcing.  In the textbook, Hoch made some interesting points, concerning understanding what values we protect against any degree of tradeoff.  

Firstly, I have a high regard for the right freedom to own and protect your private property. However I did discover some pros and cons to the process of imminent domain.  This made me re-examine why this value is so protected to me.   On one side I hate the fact that individuals are forced to see sell their property against their will.  What personal value does this hold to a family...land that has been in family for a long time?  It’s like the small person having to give in to the large corporate machine or Goliath beating David.  On the other hand, imminent domain has proven to be a good thing for some societies.  It is hard to argue against utilitarianism.  I live in Dallas, Texas and can remember when the city of Arlington invoked imminent domain to build Cowboy Stadium. Although I was against it initially, there is no doubt about the monetary value it has brought to the city.  The economy grew on a large scale, creating new jobs and helping business’ that once struggled to become very profitable…and there is no downfall in sight for the near future.  Looking at the situation now, I must admit my protected values here were no substantiated.   

Secondly, I have an extreme devotion to eliminate the practice of employee discrimination;  practice of using an individual's race, color, national origin, sex, or religion to make employment decisions related to hiring, firing, compensation, evaluations, promotions, and training.  Without a doubt this is a bad practice or is it?  It is general knowledge on the understanding of the impact employee discrimination, but few have ever found the positive side of it.  A perfect example is affirmative action.  Here the means justify the end.  I still stand by the practice, because when used correctly, I feel it assists in leveling the playing field in the business world. 

The final topic is outsourcing for profit purposes alone; the practice of sending certain job functions outside the United States instead of looking at options to handle them in-house.  I am not as rock solid as I once was when it comes to this value.  I have learned that many factors influence outsourcing.  This includes everything from union demands, the price of raw materials and corporate taxes and even shareholder influence.  It is hard to say do not outsource when you know if you own stock in the company, the value you own in that stock will dramatically increase.  That being said if there is no outsourcing, the business as a whole will suffer even though people will keep their jobs; with the understanding that the sooner than later the business will go under and all stakeholders  will lose. 

I can’t sit here and say that these protected values will weigh constantly on my mind in the future.  However because of this assignment, I will give more considerations to the impact the decisions I make will have on me and those around me.     

 

A632.4.5.RB - Deception in Negotiations

Negotiation is a skill that dates back to the beginning of time as we know it and in today’s business environment it is considered a key skill for success in most chosen professional careers.  This skill encompasses everyone from the local car dealers to the United States Four Star General.  The art of deception; often referred to as the use of deceit is also seen as a skill possessed by many great leaders.  It is not as highly respected and valued as negotiating; however, it is still considered a valuable skill in certain environments.  Even the great Sun Tzu, author of Art of War, was quoted on the importance of deception, “All warfare is based on deception” and has been used throughout some of the greatest battles in history. 

Of the six ways to evaluate information during negotiations discussed in the course textbook; there are four that stand out from rest.  First the text refers to establishing trust; however this task may be a difficult one to achieve due to the fact that one party is looking for an advantage over the other.  I do agree that shifting the frame plays an important role in negotiation.  This step lets both parties know what issues are important to each other.  The next step is asking direct questions.  Asking direct questions may be important to maintain unambiguous communication, however the issue here is will the answer provided to the question be one of honesty with no deception.  Listening carefully can reveal little clues that can reveal deception.  Something as simple as a change of volume, a change in pitch or even instant stuttering may be a clue to something being hidden. Paying attention to non-verbal clues are one of the most important hints to detecting deception.  Something as simple as a lack of eye contact may reveal that something is being hidden in negotiation.   Last but not least is keep records and get things in writing.  A good motto to live by in business is, “if it is not written down and recorded you may as well say it never happened.    

I can recall a time in my life where it seemed like deception in negotiation was an everyday practice.  As a military member stationed overseas, I can recall owning more than 20 cars in less than nine years.  Back then, the goal was to buy a car, clean it up and sell it to a younger military member, especially those who had just arrived in the country and did not know better.  I can remember telling them they would not find a better deal and if they walked away someone else would buy the car the next day.  Overall, the goal was to give myself an advantage in purchasing a better vehicle after every purchase until you had a very nice car.  Even though the car had to pass a road worthy and safety inspection, it was common practice not to reveal all the little things that were wrong with the vehicle.  On the same note, as I purchase another vehicle after each transaction, I was very aware of the same practice being used on me. It was almost like a game of cat and mouse.  It got so bad that someone bought a car, had it painted and tried to sell it to me. Unfortunately the person did not know I owned the car two years earlier.   As far as the question of how far you would be willing to go to leverage your position; I would never put someone life in danger by selling an unsafe vehicle.  There were also unspoken rules like never sell a vehicle that needed work to a single mom or elderly person. 

I think everyone has been part of some type of deception at one point in our lives.  We have either been the ones doing the deceiving or we are the ones being deceived.  Even to in my later years, I have seen such practices as a retail manager, where I would reduce the price on one item to get a customer to purchase another, knowing the profit was still the same.  Even something as overstating your qualifications on a resume to either help in getting a job or increasing pay can be considered deceptive negotiation practices.  Yes I am guilty of that in the past.  Many people would say it is important educates ourselves on the art of deceptive practices, however if it were than easy we would have eliminated such situation from our live a long time ago.

A632.3.4.RB - Reflections on Decision-Making

For this assignment, the first of Shoemaker and Russo hazards associated with "frame blindness" and how to guard against it have to deal with “Seeing the Frame by Conducting a Frame Audit”.  As the saying goes, you cannot address a problem if you do not know and understand what the problem is.  The same goes for frames.  However, before a person addresses a particular frame, they must understand that they cannot fix all frames (thought processes).  Of the three steps mentioned for conducting a frame audit, understanding the frame of others stands out the most in my opinion.  At one time in my career, I served as a first sergeant in the military during military deployments.  Basically, this position entailed ensuring several teams of individuals were relocated to a new location to perform a group of tasks for a certain period of time.  From the beginning, I began to coordinate the project using my past experiences.  I was pretty sure I covered all the critical areas and had the team ready to go almost a full week early.  The problem in the whole situation was my failure to understand the frame of others involved in this endeavor which caused me to have to readdress the project from a different perspective. My first step should have been to present the process to all the stakeholders in a pictorial manner so everyone could visually walk through the same process (later, I did follow this process).  This process of self-reflection taught me that even when you think you have an understanding of a complex decision-making situation, there is always something you can learn.  As for additional tools or "frames" that would've helped you through the process; I am not sure I needed any.  My problem was at that time I became so myopic and focused that I forgot to open up and welcome different perspectives from the other stakeholders.  As for risk assessment of my before and after recommendation, it’s hard to predict what could have happened.  If I did not change the decision making process as I did, I think the biggest issue would have been a slowdown in operational efficiency.  However as a young leader, I did learn to appreciate emerging frames (technology and thought processes had changed a lot since the last time I did such a project) and to slow down and look at the big picture; from others eyes, not just mine.      

The next of Shoemaker and Russo hazards associated with "frame blindness" and how to guard against it have to deal with Identifying and Changing Inadequate Frames.  I interpret this process as how to update our thinking process, which also includes upgrading the tools we use to assist us.  One of the biggest issues to addressing changing inadequate frames I have to deal with concerns the new generation of college students; which includes my kids.  I have learned on numerous occasions that the past frames I have used were ineffective when it comes to educating the new generation of young adults.  There is definitely a difference in educating a 19 year old student versus educating a 40 year old student.  Quite often I have to frame discussion forum case studies differently to get students to seek out the correct answer.  This especially relates to #4 on the list provided by the author; “is the frame easily communicated to and understood by others”?  What I have had to learn in this situation is that one size does not fit all especially, when addressing complex decision-making situations.  Also I have to acquire a better understanding of “recognizing my key assumptions”.  I cannot speak for all educators but I know that I have the predisposed view that everyone should be dedicated to their studies…it led to success for me so it should work for you also.  I could not be any more wrong.  Education in the world today is a choice, and there is no rush to finish but these students…to many of the new generation, it is about the experience more than what I learned.  My biggest risk in this is not being able to connect with my audience when trying to teach them how to address and answer case studies.  What I did learn from this experience is flexibility and the value of understanding how frames must be adjusted to accommodate both the teacher and the student…all stakeholders.    

The last of Shoemaker and Russo hazards associated with "frame blindness" and how to guard against it have to deal with Master Techniques for Reframing. This area has a lot of information that can be used to address frame blindness.  However, I will only address two strategies (use multiple frames) that will support my answer.  As I stated in the discussion forum, I believe all framing starts with focusing on the objective.  Many times early in my career I had been presented with an organizational objective and instantly I tried to figure out how to modify it to fit my own needs.  Too often, without knowing it, I would apply the highly recognized term WIIFM (what’s in it for me).  As stated by the text, I should have been focused on tangible results and future problems.  Without a doubt, I had to learn to frame situations differently, not from a myopic view point. This process of growth and maturity taught me a lot about complex decision-making; it’s about the organization, not the individual.  Tools or "frames" that would've helped me through the process are navigating multi-stakeholder and environmental complexity.  By using these frame, I would have been able to listen to and understand fellow stakeholders and assist in building a consensus for accomplishing the task of complex decision making.  This alone would have reduced the overall failure risk of making decisions. As far as learning through such as exercise, I am not finished.  This process is ongoing and will continue to be until I no longer have to make decisions for an organization.