Strategic management assignment submitted by Shashwat Shankar discusses business decision making challenges. Business decisions involve elements like business analysis, competitive strategy, and operations. Decision making depends on the manager's level and organization. Different managers in different companies use specific processes. Implementers play a critical role in ensuring plans are carried out. Organizations brief middle management on decisions through off-site meetings. Consensus can be difficult due to various agendas. Leadership is important, and uncertainty can arise from leadership changes. Modern managers face expertise challenges balancing breadth and depth of knowledge with efficiency. Established techniques like SWOT, Ishikawa, BCG, and Eisenhower matrices can assist in decision making.
2. Business Decision making for an organization is a rope walk where both ends of the
ropes where both ends are on fire. Describing the challenges as mentioned in the
statement. Draw essential precautions to be made in business decision making?
Generally, managerial decision making tends to include elements of Business Analysis, Competitive
Strategy, Operations, and their own Managerial Communications required
In general, it all depends on:
1. The level of the manager.
2. The manager’s corresponding organization.
Specifically, different types of managers from a different company will have specific Business Processes
they use for decision making. In any process of corporate decision making, the actual implementers play a
critical role since the best-laid plans of the top management can go awry in case there is no commitment
from the middle management. As a result, many organizations organize off-site meetings at resorts and
other places where the senior management briefs the middle management about the decisions that they
have taken and how it would impact the organization
Corporate decision making is also characterized by consensus or the lack of it. As in the outside world,
corporations often have power centers and groups that have their own agendas and hence arriving at a
consensus can be cumbersome for the CEO or the Chairman of the Board of Directors. It is because of
this reason that many corporations witness periodic restructurings with regards to organizational structure
and with regards to turnover among the top management.
The other aspect related to corporate decision making is that many organizations thrive on leaders who
have a “halo” around them and hence decision making is smooth because the rival power centers often
concede to the leader’s charisma or his or her ability and vision. I have seen this happen with the
retirement of a notable leader; the company then goes through a bad phase with competing factions
jostling for control. Internationally, Apple is an example of a company that relied on the halo effect of its
founder, Steve Jobs, and once he passed away, there was some uncertainty about the way the company
should take in the market. Modern managers face a unique expertise issue o balancing breadth and depth
of knowledge expertise alongside also efficiency concerns as they mix human and BI decision making for
an ever wider range of functions
The problem with that step is that you can’t really articulate what is important to you and what isn’t.
Modern managers also face problems where they have to make quick decisions. Managers have to make
many decisions and so having a high velocity of decision making is generally good. On the other hand,
the info/expertise demands of managers (and especially executives) are now VERY high, and they simply
cannot know everything.
In addition, established techniques such as the SWOT analysis, Ishikawa diagram, the BCG Matrix, and
the Eisenhower Matrix can assist leaders in the business decision making the process.
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