From Achieving Objectives Through Time Management, Fifth Edition
2 Making Decisions
The responsibility for making decisions is a key feature of management. But what do we really mean by a 'decision'?
3 mins
How would you explain the word 'decision' to someone who hasn't heard it before?
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A decision can be defined as:
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a choice between options;
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what happens when someone picks up one option rather than other options;
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a selection of one thing, or a preference for one thing, over another.
When someone makes a decision, they are choosing between two or more options.
Why is this important to effective time management?
The reason is that we all have choices about how to spend our time, so it's sensible to think about the process of selecting the best options.
'More than any other time in history, mankind faces a cross-roads. One path leads to despair and utter hopelessness. The other, to total extinction. Let us pray we have the wisdom to choose correctly.' Woody Allen.
As a manager, you will certainly be familiar with the decision-making process. You probably have to make decisions every hour of every day big decisions and small decisions.
By analysing the way that decisions are made, it's possible to identify a series of stages in the process, although sometimes these stages are passed through so quickly we may be hardly aware of them.
6 mins
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