The Importance of Good Decision Making and Problem Solving

Good decision making and problem solving help organizations to effectively solve ongoing issues in the work place. “Decision making and problem solving are among the most important communication processes in organizations” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009). Just imagine if an organization could not make a decision or solve any problems. The organization would not be able to function and would eventually fail.

Good decision making and problem solving are so important that several phase models have been developed. In my last class Communication Theory, I learned about the three phase models; Tuckman’s Five-Stage Model, Fisher’s Four Phase Model, and Poole’s Alternative: A Multiple-Sequence Model. Tukman’s Five-Stage Model by Bruce Tuckman consist of five phases that groups go through: forming (first stage when groups identify the nature of the task and their relationship to each other), storming (when the group is familiar and can argue a position), norming (when the arguments have been worked out), performing (group is focused on task and gets work done) and adjourning (final stage where groups tie up loose ends and reflect). The next phase model is the Fisher’s Four Phase Model by Aubrey Fisher and the phases are orientation, conflict, emergence, and reinforcement. The last phase model is Poole’s Alternative: A Multiple-Sequence Model by Marshall Scott Poole and it consist of three tracks and they are task, topic and relation tracks. The model that I like is the Tuckman’s Five-Stage Phase Model, because it is easy to follow and I agree with all of the stages. “The major criticism for Fisher’s Four-phase model is that it makes group communication seem too simple” (Trenholm, 2008).

There are several methods for group decision making and problem solving and leader mandate, majority rule, powerful minority, and consensus. The leader mandate is when the leader of a group makes the final decision. The majority rule is when the majority of the group agrees on a decision. Powerful minority is when the group members with seniority make the major decisions. The final method is consensus and it is when all members agree on a decision. “Influenced by culture, the issue at hand, and communication and technical competencies, organizational members choose from among a variety of methods and processes of decision making and problem solving” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009).

There are several barriers and challenges for decision making and problem solving such as, organizational, task, procedural, and interpersonal areas. Some organizational barriers are organizational silence, organizational culture, and inadequate access to technology. Some task barriers are inadequate descriptions of problems, confusion about responsibilities, process and bad leadership. Some interpersonal barriers are poor leadership and personal conflicts that prevent effective decision making. “What we may not see is that group cohesion-too much or too little-can influence the quality of decisions” (Shockley-Zalabak, 2009).

In conclusion even though everyone may not be satisfied with the outcomes; good decision making and problem solving are extremely important to groups and organizations. In this paper I discussed the importance of decision making and problem solving. I also discussed the methods, barriers and challenges of decision making and problem solving.

References:
Shockley-Zalabak, P. (2009). Fundamentals of Organizational communication:
knowledge, sensitivity, skills, values. (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

Trenholm, S. (2008). Thinking through Communication: An Introduction to the Study of
Human Communication. (5th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.

Ethical and Unethical Communication-

I think it is very important to understand the concepts of ethical communication and unethical communication. In the fields of ethics, there are two areas: descriptive and normative ethics. “Descriptive ethics reflects on the moral judgment of a person or a group and normative ethics involves formulating and defining moral principals” (Roebuck, 2006). People know that it is unethical to do something that they know is wrong. That behavior usually promotes dishonesty.

To ensure communications are ethical you have to use good moral judgment and honesty. My company has a mandatory Code of Ethics training we have to take yearly. We all complain about it, but we realize that it is very important. It is very important for us to understand the rules and guidelines of appropriate behavior in the work place. “Individuals should treat everything as confidential unless told differently.” (Roebuck, 2006).

An example of ethical communication is when a person calls your job requesting some personal information about one of your clients, but you explain to them that it is against company policy to disclose such information and the person accepts that and hangs up. The company code of ethics policy explains that all client information is to be treated as confidential unless they sign a release form allowing for you to disclose the information.

An example of unethical communication is discussing a client’s financial or personal information with someone outside of the company. My company has very strict policies about disclosing client information, and if you are caught doing this it can result in losing your job or even being prosecuted.

Reference:
Roebuck, D.B. (2006). Improving business communications skills (4th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Three Compliance Tactics of Communications-

The first compliance tactic that I think is effective is the Foot-in-the Door technique. The FTTD technique is commitment based and it usually starts out with a small request and builds to a larger related request. For example, a telemarketer called my home and asked if I would participate in a 15 minute survey about household products. I agreed and answered the 15 minute survey. The next day the telemarketer called again and asked if I would participate in a 50 question survey about household products and they would pay me $5.00 for my time. I agreed because I thought it would be as easy as the initial survey, but this survey ended up being one of the longest hours of my life and I swore that I would never participate in another survey. Some researchers have challenged the explanation of the FITD technique. Some people say that the self-perception theory is weak.

The second compliance tactic is Bait and Switch technique. The Bait and Switch is when someone is committed to buying one item, but when the item is replaced they end up buying another more expensive item. I have gone to a store because they had an item on sale and when I got there the item was sold out, so I decided to buy another similar but more expensive item. The types of people that are susceptible to this are the people who are committed to buying something no matter how much the cost. This technique could be improved if sales people would not lure the customers into the store under false pretenses.

The third compliance tactic is that’s-not- Al l technique. This technique is when someone offers the target product for a certain price and then they sweeten the deal by adding on an additional item for “free” or by lowering the price. For example, I’ve seen countless infomercials about different products and they are very enticing and then they tell you if you call and order within the next 15 minutes you will receive an additional item for free. This can be improved by initially offering the free gift and the lower price in the beginning. People who are susceptible to this are impulsive shoppers and bargain hunters.

Five Professional Communication Organizations-

1. The National Communication Association-(NCA) -http://www.natcom.org
The National Communication Association is a non-profit organization that is the largest national organization that promotes communication scholarship and education. NCA promotes free and ethical communication, the appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems.

2. The Association of Professional Communication Consultants (APCC)- http://www.consultingsuccess.org
APCC is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1982. APCC is dedicated to assisting new consultants entering into the communication consulting profession and helping experienced consultants to enhance and grow their businesses. Members include consultants, trainers, facilitators, executive coaches, writers, editors, corporate communication specialists, educators, and technical communicators.

3. The International Association of Business Communicators(IABC)- http://www.iabc.com
The International Association of Business Communicators was founded in 1970 and it provides a professional network of about 15,000 business communication professionals in over 80 countries. Members hold positions in the fields of: Public Relations/Media relations, corporate communications, public affairs, investor relations, government relations, market relations, community relations, writing, editing, training, advertising, photography and video production, teaching and human resources. The IABC has a lot of great resources including a great job listing on their website.

4. The Association for Business Communication (ABC)- http://www.businesscommunication.org
The Association for Business Communication is an international, interdisciplinary organization committed to advancing business communication research, education, and practice. ABC seeks to become the foremost authority in the field of business communication by promoting excellence in teaching, increasing knowledge within the discipline, enriching business communication classes to better prepare students, and improving the quality of communication in the workplace. Members hold positions in the fields of: management, marketing, English, speech communication, linguistics, information systems, to name only a few.

5. The Association for Women in Communications (AWC)- http://www.womcom.org
The purpose for the Association for women in Communications is to be a professional organization that champions the advancement of women across all communications disciplines by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership and positioning its members at the forefront of the evolving communications era. Members hold positions in the fields of: print and broadcast journalism, television and radio production, film, advertising, public relations, marketing, graphic design, multi-media design and photography.

I had no idea there were so many interesting professional communication organizations. I learned so many things from researching the organizations. I found several organizations I am very interested in joining or interested in learning more about, such as the IABC and ABC organizations. I am very interested in the field of business, so I feel that those two organizations would help to further my career.