This document discusses decision making and problem solving. It defines decision making as choosing between alternatives to solve a problem. Decision making can be done individually or in groups. Individual decision making is constrained by imperfect information and time factors, while psychological forces can influence choices. Group decision making has advantages like greater knowledge but also drawbacks like social pressure. The concept of "groupthink" is introduced, where the desire for group cohesion can undermine objective decision making. The document concludes with tips for harnessing the power of decisions, like learning from mistakes and committing to decisions while staying flexible.

1. Management and Law Department
(MLD)
Centre for Foundation Studies and Extension Education
(FOSEE)
PCR0025
Critical Thinking
All Foundation
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FOSEE , MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSITY (436821-T)
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Tel 606 252 3594 Fax 606 231 8799
URL: http://fosee.mmu.edu.my/~asd/

2. PCR0015 Critical Thinking Topic 4
Topic 6: Decision Making
• Decision making and problem solving are often closely related.
• Decision making is making a choice among two or more alternatives to
solve the problem.
• This ability to make decision is highly related to the first component of
emotional intelligence, knowing your emotion. You can only make
important life decision if you know your values, goals, priorities,
weakness and strength, emotion, and problems.
The Scope of decision making:
1. Individual decision making
2. Group decision making
Individual decision making
• Much of an individual’s decision making is done to solve problems –
personal, employment, or social.
• Individuals tend to employ rather simple strategies, even in the
presence of complex problems, to obtain desirable solutions.
• Problem solving behavior is adaptive. Individuals start with a tentative
solution, search for information, modify the initial solution, and
continue until there is some balance between expected and realized
results.
• Individual decision making is constrained by imperfect information,
time and cost factors.
• The psychological forces such as the individual’s personality, aversion
to or preference for risk will affect the choice of strategies, and
ultimate decision making.
Group decision making
• The decisions that affect the future of our civilization and of the human
race are made in a group context. For instance, the decisions made by
members of the organization to set up the policy and rules.
• There are times when an individual is more effective than group. For
instance, an individual can make decision more quickly, and with
expertise and experience, someone can make the right decision for
others.
• However, there are many times when groups can be more effective
than individuals. These are some of the advantages/benefits of group
decisions:
1. Greater sum total of knowledge or information
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3. PCR0015 Critical Thinking Topic 4
2. Greater number of approaches to a problem.
3. Participation in decision making increases general acceptance of the
final choice.
4. Better comprehension of the decision.
5. Responsibility for the decision is diffused and therefore there is less
risk for any individual.
• These are some of the drawbacks of group decisions:
1. Social pressure
2. Acceptance of first supported solutions
3. Individual domination
4. Winning decision to everybody
Groupthink
• Psychologist Irving Janis (1982) has studied the factor of groupthink
that negatively influence decision making.
• Groupthink refers to a mode of thinking that people engage in when
they are deeply involved in a cohesive ingroup, when the members’
strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically
appraise alternative courses of action.
• 3 factors that cause group decision making to result in groupthink:
1. the process of polarization
2. the cohesiveness of the members of the group
3. the size of the group
• Groupthink has been blamed for many faulty decisions.
Points to ponder:
• Before we set goals, we have to make important decisions in our lives.
We should be asking ourselves: “How am I going to live the next ten
years of my life? How am I going to live today in order to create the
tomorrow I’m committed to? What’s important for me right now, and
what will be important for me in the long term? What actions can I take
today that will shape my ultimate destiny?”
• Everything that happens in your life begins with a decision. “It’s in
your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped. The decisions
that you’re making right now, every day, will shape how your feel
today as well as who you’re going to become.”
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4. PCR0015 Critical Thinking Topic 4
• “It’s our decisions, not the conditions of our lives, that determine our
destiny.”
• “It’s not where you start out but the decisions that you make about
where you’re determined to end up that matter.”
• The Ultimate Success Formula (elementary process for getting where
you want to go):
1. Decide what you want
2. Take action
3. Notice what’s working or not
4. Change your approach until you achieve what you want.
• The three decisions that control your destiny are:
1. Your decisions about what to focus on.
2. Your decisions about what things to mean to you.
3. Your decisions about what to do to create the results you desire.
• “In order to succeed, you must have long-term focus. Success and
failure are not overnight experiences. It’s small decisions along the
way that cause people to fail. It’s failure to follow up. It’s failure to
take action. It’s failure to persist. It’s failure to control what we focus
on.”
• “God’s delays are not God’s denials. Often, what seems impossible in
the short term becomes very possible in the long term if you persist. In
order to succeed, we need to discipline ourselves to consistently think
long term.”
• Six keys to harness the power of decisions:
1. Remember the true power of making decisions.
“It’s a tool you can use in any moment to change your entire life.
The minute you make a new decision, you set in motion a new
cause, effect, direction, and destination for your life.”
2. Realize that the hardest step in achieving anything is making a true
commitment—a true decision.
Make your decisions intelligently and quickly. Don’t dwell for too
long over the question of how or if you can do it. Research shows
that the most successful people make decisions rapidly because
they are clear on their values and what they really want for their
lives. Research also shows that these people are slow to change
their decisions, if at all.
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5. PCR0015 Critical Thinking Topic 4
3. Make decisions often.
“The more decisions you make, the better you’re going to become
at making them.” Also, “the more often you make decisions, the
more you’ll realize that you truly are in control of your life.”
4. Learn from your decisions.
There are times when you’re going o screw up no matter what you
do. Instead of emotionally and mentally beating yourself, learn from
these setbacks. Ask yourself, “What’s good about this? What can I
learn from this?” This ‘failure’ may be a gift in disguise if you use it
to make better decisions in the future.
5. Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.
You’re after the end. So, don’t get stuck on the means of achieving
the end.
6. Enjoy making decisions.
Bear in mind that in any moment a decision you make can change
the course of your life forever. If you really want your life to be
passionate, you need to live with this attitude of expectancy.
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