...Mental Model/Mindsets Paper Student Name OI/361 April 7, 2014 Instructor Name Mental Model/Mindsets Paper Reality representations that people use to understand and identify the particular phenomenon are known as mental models. Mental models represent assumptions that are deeply ingrained and they influence how people take action and how they understand the world. Mental models are developed over time through experience, socialization and interaction with others. They are opinions, beliefs, perceptions, assumptions, values and truths. Mental models are often hidden and one is not aware of them or their effect on one’s behavior. When mental models are created they become reinforced in the mind and it becomes hard to change them (Von Stamm, 2008). Vernon and Bud have been in this company for more than twenty years, thus there mental models are deeply rooted and difficult to change. It is hard to convince both of them to change their mental models or adopt new ones. The mental models that these two coworkers have impacted greatly on how they behave in the company and the decisions they make. Vernon is afraid of the expansion and Bud is against competing with other organizations. Changing Mental Model/Mindsets In any organization, change is constant, hence the need to keep changing mental models of employees. It is hard to change mental models since they are not forces that one is aware of consciously, but subconsciously. Vernon and Bud are against the new change that has...
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...What [is] your experience with the decision-making model? As people, we make decisions daily from what to wear to what to eat. Decision making will forever be a part of our day-to-day activity. However, as we all know the decision making process is frequently difficult and very complex. Personally, my experience with the decision- making model in the business world has been very broad from taking sale orders to deciding terminations. Currently, one of my job responsibilities as a manager of seven afterschool programs is to allocate funds. The characteristic that I find myself falling into under decision making model is that of non-programmed decisions. My job requires that I make “decisions that do not have established routines or procedures” (Gomez-Mejia & Balkin, 2002) to follow. For example, my job requires that I predict the amount of funds that will be paid out for payroll each month but because of the many factors that go into paying our staff. I can never give definite outcomes, rather only estimates. This lack of concrete information creates an unstable foundation upon which to base my decisions. Thus they tend to be viewed as (or deemed) uncertain. Making decisions in groups is another area of the decision making model with which I can identify with. Decision making in groups is stated to have its pros and cons. One of the pro’s is it allows for a greater diversity of ideas and opinion. Group decision making also can enhances decision acceptance as more...
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...Running Header: PROBLEM FORMULATION AND IDENTIFICATION Problem Formulation and Identification Team D December 2009 Problem Formulation and Identification When trying to reach a decision on how to handle a problem, one must know how to identify and formulate what the problem is and how it came to be. With many ways to conduct a decision-making process in a business environment, one needs to learn which style will remove the problem by weighing the pros and cons, the strengths, and weaknesses of the method used. The following is a journey on the seven different decision-making methods: scientific, persuasive, logical, rational, intuitive, recognition primed decision-making and the ultimate decision-making model to see how each method affects the stakeholders. Compare and Contrast Problem Identification Identifying a problem is not a one step process. Identifying a problem involves recognition of something faulting and reason for the problem. Every organization has its own method of identifying and solving problems, some of these methods are known as: scientific method, persuasive method, and logical method. “Scientific is a type of inductive thinking that moves through four major steps: observation, hypothesis formulation, experimentation, and verification” (Kirby & Goodpaster, 2007). Persuasive thinking comes into the situation once a problem occurs. A business, in which persuasive thinking becomes a benefit, would be in the retail...
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...Group Think 1) In your experience, have you found that decision-making groups tend toward groupthink? If so, what factors contributed to this tendency? If not, what factors helped to prevent it? In my experience, I do think groups tend to groupthink. I remember many times throughout high school being part of groups that commonly became ruled by the more dominant or outspoken student involved. Also I think, especially at that age, decision making may be highly stressful in a group setting for the less outgoing students. Low self-esteem and stress were the major factors for the groupthink these scenarios. As an adult, I also have experienced groupthink when asked to get together with the other 3 ladies in accounting come up with a better flow and more up-to-date accounting in conjunction with production and sales. The company has been growing and evolving rapidly and we needed to be better prepared for a heavier workload. Between the four of us, my co-worker and I being the there less time (both at least 2 years) and significantly younger than the other two that have been there 8+ years we were all expected to come to a common ground for duties and work flow. Quickly the two older women took over the decision making and didn’t consider much of what we had to say or had to bring to the table or prior experience. I suppose I am guilty of submitting to groupthink? 2) Review the steps in the rational decision making model (especially 1-4). This model, of course, applies to...
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...Critical Thinking Critical thinking, as defined by Wikipedia, is purposeful and reflective judgment about what to believe or what to do in response to observations, experience, verbal or written expressions, or arguments. Therefore, critical thinking is necessary in the decision making process not only in your everyday life but more so in your professional life. Since applying critical thinking in any decision making process involves gathering facts, questioning ideas, analyzing, and evaluating these data, one can safely say that applying critical thinking in the decision making process will help anyone to come up with a more favorable solution to a problem. Problem Solving – Applying Critical Thinking When I was first promoted to a supervisory position at Discover Card, I assumed that since I worked my way up, I knew how to handle conflict and make fair decisions. I also assumed that since the company has an established Code of Conduct and Dress Code policies, it would make my decision making process easy, or so I thought, until I was faced with a behavioral situation that none of the managers at Discover Card had experienced before and to make matters worse, the situation was not specifically covered in the Dress Code policy. A few months after I became a Team Leader, one of my male employees came to me and said his pod partner, a female, was in violation of the company’s dress code policy. I looked at him and looked at the female employee, who...
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...Session 3A: THE CASESTUDY ANALYSIS MODEL: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS MODEL Introduction The case studies we use are products that are written and produced by researchers who carry out an extensive analysis of a particular company and conduct in-depth interviews with its key players. Case studies provide a snapshot of a particular set of circumstances in an organization within a particular time frame. They provideus with an integrated look at both qualitative information and quantitative data about those circumstances. They also outline the various perspectives, thoughts and actions of the different managers in the case. We use these case studies in the classroom as a vehicle for practicing and fine-tuning your own managerial skills of problem analysis, decision making and solution development and implementation. Case studies provide a vehicle through which you can apply thetheoretical ideas, theories and concepts from the course material (in conjunction with your ideas and perspectives) to realistic problem-solving situations. These ideas are sometimes at variance with the managers in the case. It is important to remember that you must always place yourself in the position of the manager in the case itself (or in the position of the person who identifies the problem and is the only one who can initiate any action) and explain what (and why) you would have analyzed the problem and implemented the solution differently in those same set of...
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...[pic] School of Business Syllabus MGT/350 Version 5 Critical Thinking: Strategies in Decision Making Lou Ferracane Course Start Date: 10/26/2010 Course End Date: 11/23/2010 Campus/Learning Center: Oklahoma City Campus Please print a copy of this syllabus for handy reference. Whenever there is a question about what assignments are due, please remember this syllabus is considered the ruling document. Copyright Copyright © 2009, 2006, 2004, 2003, 2001, 2000 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. University of Phoenix® is a registered trademark of Apollo Group, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft®, Windows®, and Windows NT® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Use of these marks is not intended to imply endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation. Edited in accordance with University of Phoenix® editorial standards and practices. Facilitator Information Lou Ferracane ferracal@email.phoenix...
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...area that determines an organizations success in any industry. If and how these concepts are uniquely applied, organizations can define many different areas of their organizational structure. The Starbucks Corporation has become a well-known globally successful company. In analyzing the application of the organizational behaviors of communication, culture, and decision making, we can determine how these concepts have made this corporation successful. Organizational Communication Communication in the Starbucks organization is exceptionally successful. In order to appear transparent as an organization, provide sound direction of communication, maintain solid channels of communication, and still the rumor-mill; Starbucks has taken immense strides in concentrating on this aspect of its organizational behavior. Although Starbucks goes to no great lengths to define or list their organizational structure (Hawks, Kembell, Kembell, Olsen, & Perry, 2002), Recent changes in the organization define the organization as a matrix structure (Shultz, 2008). These changes in the organization, done to improve the customer experience, helped define the communication directions used by the organization. George and Jones (2005), state that the matrix organizational structure is a very effective way to take full advantage of all communication channels. Whether the organization wishes to label the organizational structure or not, the structure is the pivotal point of success in its organizational...
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...delivery at a lower charge than the customers are now paying. Two of the company's employees Vernon and Bud are opposed to the changes of the new owners. Vernon directs the company's drivers and Bud works in the corporate offices. Vernon does not think that expanding the core business is a good idea, while Bud thinks that AAA is not capable of competing with existing companies that provide the same nonperishable products. Vernon and Bud have been with AAA for more than 20 years and both have a high influence between the rest of the employees. This paper will go over the mental model/mindsets including the impact of the two coworkers, the four steps to changing mental models/mind sets, the five forces that influence those mental model/ mindsets, and examples. Mental model/mindsets and their impact Mental model/ mindsets are beliefs, ideas, images, and verbal description that we form from experiences. In order to be successful in business, it is important to have the accurate business mindset. Suchlike ideas that are easy as coming...
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...Study: Decision Making at Choco, p137 1. What is the case about? In your own words, summarise the case by highlighting the main issues. 2. Describe the decision making process at ChocCo. Who were the parties involved? Who should have been involved and why? The decision-making process has been highly centralised. The strategic decision to change the shift timings has been made by the top management on the assumption that the workers will accept it. The decision making style should have been consultative, and the workers’ opinions should have been sought before making such an important decision. The Union should have been involved right from the start and their input would have played a valuable role in enhancing the productivity level of employees. 3. How might you have ensured everyone was involved in the decision making process at ChocCo? Some ways include taking a survey of workers’ opinions regarding shift changes, and participation of Union and workers in the decision-making process. Students could look at the satisficing model of decision making. This model is appropriate because the management of ChocCo have inadequate information about the nature of the issue to be decided and also about possible alternatives and their strengths and limitations. While looking at the satisficing model, students could discuss the concept of bounded rationality. Students could also discuss the section on ‘Steps in an effective decision-making...
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...Decision making process can be simply described as the act of making an individual's choice as regards a certain field of study. Decision making is based on stages and steps which are to first be followed before reaching any conclusion. It is required for making not only simple but also tough decisions at stake. For instance making a decision about what you will have for breakfast, making a decision to solve a tight problem at your work place among others. Decisions are not made straight, there are several approaches that are to be considered before taking this step. Every organization and department use its own style of approach. Thus it can be concluded that every style has its own strength and weakness. Decision making process ranging from first recognizing a problem or decision to be made, on through framing the problem or decision, identifying and evaluating alternatives, choosing among the alternatives, implementing the chosen alternative, and stabilizing the action plus learning from the experience. 1. Recognition of The Problem Or Decision The first process for the product is the need recognition. What is need recognition? It refers to the first stage of the buyer decision process; in which the consumer recognizes a problem or need. Setting objectives is important for it encourages the chapter to follow good management practices, motivate staff to achieve their sets of objectives and provides a common direction for the members . At this stage...
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...head-to-head competition against companies run by other groups from your class. Company operations are made as realistic as possible and the functioning of the marketplace in this Business Strategy Game closely mirrors the competitive functioning of the real-world business arena, thus allowing you and your co-managers to proceed rationally and logically in making strategic based decisions. As strategic managers you will need to satisfy your board members and shareholders/investors on five set performance objectives for the company. These will be explained in full detail in the Participant's Guide which you can download once you register for the game. While the objective of the game itself is to end up leading the competition, through these performance objectives, your assessment mark will be based on an individual report. This simulation game will commence from the tenth week (eleventh for cohort 2) of term. There will be: two practice sessions in the first two weeks where the simulation game will be presented in full detail; followed by five full decision making sessions over the next five weeks. At the end of the Business Simulation Game you will be required to prepare an Individual Reflective Strategic Report. This report will be borne out of your strategic analysis, rationalisations and decisions made together with reflections on your awareness of the environment and actual experiences internal to your group and relative to the other groups during the running of the whole...
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...Analytics to Work in Operations James Taylor CEO, Decision Management Solutions More information at: www.decisionmanagementsolutions.com Using Decision Management to maximize the value of predictive analytics Predictive analytics applied to operational decision making is the next major source of competitive advantage. The most successful companies are using Decision Management to put predictive analytics to work powering the day-to-day decisions that impact performance most. ©2011 Decision Management Solutions Maximizing analytic value in operational decisions Insights from predictive analytics Contents: Insights to actions—improving operational decisions Customers—they think your decisions are deliberate Challenge—getting analytics into operations Solution—Decision Management increases analytic value 1 3 5 7 Insights to actions improving operational decisions “Most discussions of decision making assume that only senior executives make decisions or that only senior executives’ decisions matter. This is a dangerous mistake.” Peter Drucker Companies that systematically apply predictive analytics to operational decisions, especially those pertaining to customers, outperform their competitors. Many organizations think of predictive analytics as being valuable primarily for strategic purposes. They look to it as a source of market insights to help guide executives and managers making decisions about where to focus and allocate resources. Conventional...
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...YVK Chapter 5 Contingency Leadership Q1. What is the difference between a theory and a model? Leadership Theory is an explanation of some aspects of Leadership; it has practical value as it is used to better understand, predict and control successful Leadership. A Leadership Model is an example for emulation or use in a given situation. The Leadership Theory is the longer text that explains the variables and leadership styles to be used in a given contingency situation. The Leadership Model is the short summary of the theory to be used when selecting the appropriate leadership style for a given situation. Q2. What contingency leadership variables are common to all of the theories? Leader, followers and situation. Q3. How does the global economy relate to contingency leadership? Contingency Leadership is important in the global economy of today. Global companies realize that successful leadership styles can vary greatly from place to place. In Europe and some other parts of the world, managers have more cultural than technical variables to deal with as they encounter diverse value systems and religious backgrounds among employees. Employees in some countries prefer domineering, seld0centered, autocratic leadership style. More companies are now looking for graduates with an international openness and flexibility who can master the complexity of the global economy. Cross-cultural leadership is highly in demand. Q4. What are the two contingency leadership theory...
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...Analysis, link on webpage, especially know your ratios. I won’t ask you the formulas; I’ll ask you what they mean or tell a manager.. Ch 1 What is Strategic and Why is It Important Ch 2 The Managerial Process of Crafting and Executing Strategy W Jan 12 Business Policy Preliminary Predictor Quiz Overview of Strategic Planning Group formation, Company officer photographs Hand out Morton Case M Jan 17 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday – no class W Jan 19 Company officer photographs LEGOMAN Each group will send me an e-mail message addressing the following: What did you learn in the Legoman exercise about strategy and good management? What did you learn about each of your team members? How could you better manage in future exercises and assignments? M Jan 24 Mystic Monk Coffee 1. Has Father Daniel Mary established a future direction for the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming? What is his vision for the monastery? What is his vision for Mystic Monk Coffee? What is the mission of the Carmelite Monks of Wyoming? 2. Does it appear that Father Daniel Mary has set definite objectives and performance targets for achieving his vision? 3. What is Father Prior’s strategy for achieving his vision? What competitive advantage might Mystic Monk Coffee’s strategy produce? 4. Is Mystic Monk Coffee’s strategy a money-maker? What is MMC’s business model? What is your assessment of Mystic Monk Coffee’s customer...
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