Deck 10: Decision Making

Question 1

Which of the following scenarios would lead to a group consensus decision-making style according to Vroom and Yetton's taxonomy? Select all that apply.

A)Acceptance of a decision by subordinates is not critical; subordinates do not share the organizational goals.
B)Acceptance by subordinates is critical; subordinates do not share the same goals.
C)The problem is structured; the leader is reasonably certain the followers would accept his or her decision.
D)The problem is structured; conflict is likely among followers for preferred solutions.
E)Acceptance by subordinates is critical; the leader is not certain if they would accept his or her decision.

Answer 1

B, E

Question 2

Henry Mintzberg's research about the nature of managerial and administrative work resulted in which of the following conclusions? Select all that apply.

A)Administrators do a great deal of work, and do it at an unrelenting pace.
B)Administrators devote long periods to a few important decisions that tend to be specific.
C)Administrators prefer to deal with problems that can be handled with the information at hand.
D)Administrators prefer written communications.
E)Administrators often check with their superiors before making most decisions.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Describe or define a rational decision making process by listing the steps involved, and define what makes a decision that is satisficing.

Answer 3

An answer that approximates either Simon or Drucker's models is correct.
Herbert Simon's model: This is composed of three types of activity; intelligence activity in which the environment is searched for circumstances that need a decision; design activity in which courses of action are defined; and choice activity in which an option is selected.
Peter Drucker's model: Define the problem, analyze the problem, develop alternative solutions, decide on the best alternative, and convert the decision into effective actions.
Satisficing is making a decision that will be a satisfactory solution to the decision, not necessarily an optimal solution.

Question 4

Choose all of the following that are examples of the application of Daniel Griffith's theory of administration.

A)A principal makes the important decisions, and delegates all others.
B)A principal sets up a process of making decisions in the organization.
C)A principal delegates most decisions to others.
D)A principal delegates all decisions to others.
E)A principal consults with the superintendent on the type of decisions to be delegated.

Question 5

Using the Shewhart and Deming Cycle of Plan-Do-Study-Act PDSA), develop a plan to solve the problem described in the scenario below. In your response, identify the TQM tools you will use and the aspects of the Kowalski, Lasley, and Mahoney data-based decision making model that integrate into your plan.
Scenario: You are a school principal who has received a call from your superintendent that she is unhappy with your school's performance on the recently published results of the state's high-stakes test. She requests a detailed plan from you that outlines solutions to address the problem.

Question 6

Which one of the following might be considered good decision making practices?

A)The principal should set up the school's decision making processes and these processes should include participation of others when appropriate
B)Teachers should be permitted to participate in decisions only when the principal believes he doesn't have sufficient information
C)The principal should work with teachers in establishing a process for making decisions
D)Voting is a good decision making strategy for important decisions
E)Both c and d.

Question 7

Which of the following would be considered good decision making practices? Select all that apply.

A)Choose people to be involved in decisions if they are knowledgeable about the problem.
B)Use a parliamentarian method for making a decision if the staff is concerned about the solution to a problem.
C)If a problem is in the staff's Zone of Indifference involve them in a collaborative decision.
D)A principal involves several individuals in defining alternative solutions to a problem in the staff's Zone of Ambivalence and seeks input from a group on consequences, but makes the decision himself.
E)A school that wishes to use school-based decision making also called site-based management) could benefit from using the Total Teamwork System of decision making.

Question 8

Which of the following is most likely to be true about decision making and organizational culture? Select one.

A)The norms, values and beliefs of an organization have little impact on administrative decisions
B)The use of HRD concepts most likely will lead to participative decision making structures
C)Some cultures are more effective than others in implementing collaborative decision making models
D)Collaborative decision making models should not be used in schools that are experiencing many problems
E)Both b and c.

Question 9

In Vroom and Yetton's decision-making model, there are seven questions one asks that lead to the best decision making style. Which of the following are questions in this model? Select all that apply.

A)Is this decision one that the leader's superiors should make?
B)Does the leader have sufficient information to make a good decision?
C)Is the problem important?
D)Is there a quality requirement such that one solution is likely to be more rational than another?
E)If the leaders makes the decision alone, how certain is it that others will accept it?

Question 10

Briefly describe the two views about administrator thinking regarding linear and nonlinear concepts. How does brain research fit into these views?
Essays:

Question 11

Which of the following problems might be termed emergent problems? Select all that apply.

A)The school district needs to revise its transportation system to better pick up children on time
B)The state requires each school district to develop a plan to implement bilingual education
C)A principal needs to decide how best to organize her time to insure that she evaluates all teachers twice during the school year
D)The principal needs to develop a process to handle ordering and distribution of supplies
E)Both a and d.

Question 12

Using the ideas of Edwin Bridges and Chester Barnard to determine when to involve others in decisions, identify which of the following would be good practices. Select all that apply.

A)Involve teachers who have a personal stake in the problem, even if they are not experts or have much information about the problem.
B)Involve the math teachers in scheduling the program for the physical education department.
C)If teachers are ambivalent about a problem and its solution, select a small group of volunteers to work out a solution with the principal.
D)If a problem is in the teachers' Zone of Sensitivity, they won't be interested in working on a solution, so the principal should make the decision.
E)Involve the English teachers in developing next year's schedule, as several of them have worked on scheduling with principals in the past.

Question 13

Which of the following problems might be termed discrete problems? Select all that apply.

A)The district requires each school to develop a school improvement plan to include special education students
B)How should special education students be included in the regular education classrooms?
C)The central office has asked each school to develop a yearly staff development plan based on the school's vision and mission
D)The process and schedule for cleaning classrooms before and after school needs to be revised. e.Both a and d.

Question 14

You are brought in as a consultant to analyze the problems related to decision-making structures in a school. The principal of this middle school grades 6- 8, 750 students) has received numerous complaints from teachers that they are not involved in any of the decisions that are made at the school. In fact, they have all signed a letter of complaint to bring the issue to the attention of the principal.
In your discussions with the principal, he states that he believes he is a democratic person and that he is surprised by the complaints. You find that the principal makes most decisions such as assignments to bus duty, lunchroom duty, and hall/bathroom monitor duty, as well as class assignments for all of the teachers. Monthly meetings are for the purpose of giving information to teachers and staff. The principal cannot understand why the faculty members are unhappy since he is saving them so much work by not having them attend so many meetings to make decisions.
Analyze the situation related to decision making. What positive steps is the principal doing relative to decision making? What is wrong with the current methods and what needs to be done to revise the current methods of decision making? Specifically, what steps should be put into place to involve faculty in some of the important decisions in the school? How will "important" decisions be determined? In your response, cite specific theories and concepts from the text to support your ideas.