TECHNIQUES OF DECISION MAKING
In the models of decisionmaking, you must have observed that any systematic approach to decision
making starts with a proper definition of the problem. You will often
experience that a problem well defined is a problem half-solved because the proper
definition helped you to search at relevant place for promising alternatives. You
would also agree that a "fair" approach to decision-making demands
that parameters (for judging alternatives which are sometimes referred to as
"criteria", "level of aspiration", "decision
rules", etc.) should be explicitly developed before the alternatives are generated
and not after. This imperative minimises the
chances of unnecessary compromise which is the hall-mark of a low-quality
decision. However, once you have developed the criteria, keep them aside and
forget about them at the time of generation of the alternatives. This
dissociation of criteria from the alternative-generation phase will improve
your chance of coming up with a reasonably sufficient number of alternatives.
You will understand the importance of generating a "reasonable"
number of alternatives by the simple realisation that the quality of a decision
can be no better than the quality of the alternatives that you identify.
Identification of Alternatives
Generation of a reasonable number of good alternatives is usually
no problem. Occasionally, however, developing a variety of good alternatives
can be a complex matter requiring creativity, thought, and study. Three means
for generating alternatives are particularly well-known. These are brainstorming, synectics, and nominal grouping.
Brainstorming: Developed by Alex F.
Osborn, brainstorming is the oldest and best known technique for
stimulating creative thinking. It involves the use of a group whose members is
presented with a problem and is asked to develop as many potential solutions as
possible. Members of the group may all be employees of the same firm or outside
experts in a particular field. Brainstorming is based on the premise that when
people interact in a free and uninhibited atmosphere they will, generates
creative ideas. That is, as one person generates an idea it serves to stimulate
the thinking of others. This interchange of ideas is supposedly contagious and
creates an atmosphere of free discussion and spontaneous thinking. The
objective is to produce as many ideas as possible in keeping with the belief
that the larger the number of ideas produced, the greater the probability of
identifying an acceptable solution.
