Sample By My Essay Writer
There are times when the organizational management has problems relaying information to their workers due to the nature of the information or the fact that it will result in unfavorable changes.
One instance in which this has happened in my personal experience was when my organization had to change from running a third shift to only running a first and second shift. Not only would this stand to upset the lives of the workers that have been with the company for several years, but it would ensure that these people would suffer in various ways. This included needing to hire daytime childcare, not being able to attend school during the day, and reducing the number of hours that a person can work during the week.
To many of the workers, the removal of this position will effectively leave them without the ability to work for the company. These people will be fired as a result of not being able to work the schedule that is being prescribed to them, and they will not have the ability to collect unemployment as a result. Management does not understand how to effectively communicate these issues to the workers in order to allow them to feel confident that they will be able to gain other positions.
There are several potential factors that will influence the overall ability to account for the changes that are going to occur within the hospital. However, there is one decision making model that will allow there to be a fair approach to the new system and for favorable outcomes to emerge in the situation. The model that will allow for the greatest level of flexibility along with the ability to make firm decisions would be the Rational Model of decision making.
The Rational Model of decision making is described as one that has four different forms such as intelligence, design, choice, and review (Nutt & Wilson, 2010). Viewed in this sequential order, many problems are able to be completely resolved in the realm of the business world. The very first aspect that must be met within this model of decision making is that of intelligence, or finding the occasion for making a decision (Nutt & Wilson, 2010). This requires the individuals making time so that they can meet with all of the relevant individuals that are going to be affected by the decision that is being made. The second aspect of the rational model of the decision making process is that of design, of inventing, developing and analysing possible courses of action” (Nutt & Wilson, 2010). This does not only mean finding out a way that the best outcomes can be had for people that are involved in the decision process, but also creating a design that allows for discourse to occur when it comes to the topic that is in question.
The next form of the Rational Decision making process is that involving choice. The rational process involves selecting the best course of action from those that are possible, which can be difficult or even considered to be impossible among the ones that are best for the company and those for the workers. Finally, the last aspect of the rational decision making process is review, or reflecting on the past actions that will make the decision making process better in the future.
In terms of the specific means that this form of decision making can take once it is implemented in the workplace, there are generally many ways that the decision can evolve. The first part is finding the occasion to make a decision. Since this idea for the new shift management program is one that is going to cause the most dissent in the company, the best thing that can be done is to make manageable groups. The best way that this could occur for the company would be to divide the individuals into their departments in order to hold the meetings in an asynchronous manner so that everyone feels as though their individual needs and concerns are being addressed by the company. This is also important to do for the sake of the managers that have to meet with the workers. It could quickly turn into a hostile environment for them that will not help anyone.
Another way that this could be implemented properly would be through the design, or finding the best possible course of action. One of the ways that this design can work would be offering to schedule the individuals at times that will have the minimum impact on their daily lives. While this may not work with everyone, it is crucial to the overall notion that talent is being retained within the company rather than having to hire all new workers to replace them. Another way that design can function within this model, within the circumstance of multiple means, would be to encourage department managers and others with a great deal of experience to come up with means that could be discussed with management in order to propose a form that will have the least impact on the workers and the company. Of course, this step also involves the analysis of the possible courses of action to determine which of them will be the least disruptive to the work environment while having the best outcomes for the workers.
In terms of the analysis portion of the decision model, there has to be the consideration for the delivery of the information to the workers. While it could ultimately be beneficial to have small group meetings in order to clear the air, it would eventually benefit the company to have a large meeting to discuss the new direction of the company as it continues to move forward with its decision to eliminate third shift.
The final stage of the actionable portion of the Rational Decision model involves selecting the choice. The benefit for the business is ultimately what is supposed to drive the final decision that is being made. However, the workers that have dedicated themselves to the third shift of the job should not be easily thrown to the side. Unfortunately, the decision that has to be made will benefit the company alone or the workers alone in the short run. The decision to work with the employees rather than prescribe them a schedule, something that is not typically allowed according to the standard operating procedure, will help with retention and preventing new training. However, this can set a very bad precedent within the company, that more workers will continue to make demands that will adversely affect morale and future decisions. Brunsson notes that this can be just as damaging as making the wrong decision that will only benefit the worker (2007). The other possibility that can occur in this situation is that the company decides to force the workers to work the schedule, which may cause losses in the short run, and diminish morale, something that typically gets better over time (Brunsson, 2007). Thus, as harsh as it may seem, the better decision according to the Rational Model of decision making is to force the workers to work the schedules that are assigned to them, losing some of them in the process.
The fact of the matter is that decision making is full of potential benefits and drawbacks that occur in the realm of business. In this case, the rational method for the success of the business can result in negative outcomes for the workers, which is unfortunate but a necessary evil considering that it may save jobs in the future. Decision making models allow for companies to contextualize management resources to effectively communicate with workers and make decisions that will help the company thrive.
References
Brunsson, N. (2007). The consequences of decision-making. Oxford, GBR: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com.library.capella.edu/lib/capella/docDetail.action?docID=10271704
Nutt, P. C., & Wilson, D. (2010). Blackwell encyclopedia of management: Handbook of decision making. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com.library.capella.edu/lib/capella/docDetail.action?docID=10469831
