Decision-making and Teacher (original) (raw)

Decision-making is the process of making a choice between a number of options and committing to a future course of actions. Everyone tries to make good decisions. However, it is easy to overlook an important factor, miss a desirable option, or base the decision on unreliable information. In addition, fear of making a wrong choice can cause us to postpone decisions, leading to missed opportunities. A structured decision-making process ensures that important decisions are made on time and are based on facts, research, and analysis. Meaning and Definition of Decision-making Decision-making can be defined as, 'the thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options'. When trying to make a good decision, a person must weight the positives and negatives of each option, and consider all the alternatives. For effective decision making, a person must be able to forecast the outcome of each option as well, and based on all these items, determine which option is the best for that particular situation. It can be also defined as the process of making choices among possible alternatives. According to Mc Farland (2001), "A decision is an act of choice where in an executive forms a conclusion about what must be done in a given situation. A decision represents a course of behavior chosen from a number of possible alternatives". Characteristics of Decision-making From the above mentioned definitions, following features of decision-making process can be derived, i. Decision-making is an intelligent, human process. ii. Decision-making consists of choosing a right, appropriate alternative from among many available alternatives. iii. Decision-making is a continuous process prevailing in all business activities. iv. Decision-making is always related to a situation and involves a certain commitment for whatever duration. v. Decision-making aims at achieving organizational objectives. vi. Decision-making is always preceded by deliberations and reasoning.