MBA 704 Jia Yu - Module Four

what is decision making

refers to the process of generating and choosing from a set of alternatives to solve a problem

what are the two methods of decision making

- programmed decisions

- nonprogrammer decisions

what is programmed decisions

automatic because knowledge allows employee to recognize a situation and the needed course of action

- intuition

- crisis situation

what is intuition

emotionally charged judgement arising through quick, non conscious, and holistic associations

what is crisis situation

urgent problem must be addressed immediately

what is nonprogrammed decisions

problem is new, complex, or not recognized

rational decision- making model

what is the rational decision-making model

offers a step by step approach to making decisions

is designed to maximize outcomes by examining all available alternatives

what is a decision making problem

limited information

what does limited information include

- bounded rationality

- satisficing

what is bounded rationality

do not have ability or resources to process all available information and alternatives

what is satisficing

choosing the first acceptable alternative

to be rational decision makers we should what

- identify the problem by thoroughly examining the situation and considering all interested parties

- develop an exhaustive list of alternatives to consider as solutions

- evaluate all alternatives simultaneously

- use accurate information to evaluate alternatives

- pick the alternative that maximizes value

bounded rationality says we are likely to what

- boil down the problem to something that is easily understood

- come up with a few solutions that tend to be straightforward, familiar, and similar to what is currently being done

- evaluate each alternative as soon as we think of it

-use distorted and inaccurate information during the evaluation process

- pick the first acceptable alternative (satisfice)

what are faulty perceptions

- selective perception

- projection bias

- social identity theory

- stereotype

- heuristics

- availability bias

what is social perception

tendency to see the environment only as it affects them, consistent with their expectations

what is projection bias

belief that others think, feel, and act the same way they do

what is social identity theory

people identify with groups and judge others by their group memberships

what is stereotype

assumptions are made about others on the basis of their membership in a social group

what is heuristics

simple, efficient rules of thumb that allow us to make decisions more easily

what is availability bias

tendency to base judgements on information that is easier to recall

what are faulty attributions

- fundamental attribution error

- self serving bias

what is fundamental attribution error

a tendency to judge others' behaviors as due to internal factors such as ability or attitude

what is self serving bias

attribute our failures to external factors and our successes to internal factors

what is escalation of commitment

decision to continue to follow a failing course of action

"throwing good money after bad"

becomes stronger when decision makers have invested a lot of money into the decision and when the project in question seems quite close to completion

what is communication

the process by which information and meaning get transferred from a sender to a receiver

what is the communication process

- info

- sender

- encoding

- message

- decoding

- receiver

- understanding

what are communicator issues

- low communication competence

- problematic emotions and emotional intelligence of members

what is low communication competence

a lack of skills in encoding, transmitting, and receiving messages

what is problematic emotions and emotional intelligence of members

inability to regulate emotions and understand the emotions of others while encoding, transmitting, and receiving messages

what is noise

interferes with the message being transmitted

requires both parties to communication to put in extra effort

what forms can noise take

- distance

- obstructions

- physical noise

what is information richness

relates to the amount and depth of the information being conveyed

includes both language and nonverbal information such as body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice

- high information richness

- moderate information richness

- low information richness

what is high information richness

face-to-face conversation

what is moderate information richness

personal written note

what is low information richness

computer generated reports filled with numbers

what is stress

a psychological response to demands that possess certain stakes for the person and that tax or exceed the person's capacity or resources

what is stressors

particular demands that cause people to experience stress

what is strains

negative consequences that occur when demands tax or exceed one's capacity or resources

what is the transactional theory of stress

explains how stressors are perceived and appraised as well as how people respond

what is benign job demands

job demands that are not considered stressful

what are challenge work stressors

- time pressure

- work complexity

- work responsibility

what is time pressure

the sense that you don't have enough time to do what needs to be done

what is work complexity

the degree to which the requirements of the work tax or exceed the capabilities of the person doing the work

what is work responsibility

the nature of the obligations a person has to others

what are hindrance work stressors

- role conflict

- role ambiguity

- role overload

- daily hassles

what is role conflict

conflicting expectations that other people have of us

what is role ambiguity

lack of information regarding what needs to be done in a role

what is role overload

when the number of roles a person holds is so high that some of the roles are performed less effectively, or not at all

what is daily hassles

relatively minor day-to-day demands that get in the way of accomplishing what we want to do

what are challenge family stressors

- family time demands

- personal development

- positive life events

what is family time demands

the time a person commits to participate in an array of family activities and responsibilities

what is personal development

participation in activities associated with personal development, such as music lessons or sports activities

what is personal life events

specific life events such as pregnancy or the birth of a child, which, although positive, can still be perceived as stressful

what are hindrance family stressors

- work family conflict

- financial uncertainty

- negative life events

what is work-family conflicts

when the demands of the family role hinder the demands of the work role and vice-versa

what is financial uncertainty

a general uncertainty about loss of livelihood, savings, or ability to pay expenses

what is negative life events

specific life events, such as death of spouse, that are perceived stressful

what is coping

refers to the behaviors and thoughts people use to manage stressful demands and the emotions associated with those demands

what are methods of coping

- behavioral coping

- cognitive coping

what is behavioral coping

set of physical activities that are used to deal with a stressful situation

what is cognitive coping

thoughts that are involved in trying to deal with a stressful situation

what are types of focus of coping

- problem focused coping

- emotion focused coping

what is problem-focused coping

refers to behaviors and cognitions intended to manage stressful situation itself

what is emotion-based coping

refers to the various ways in which people manage their own emotional reactions to stressful demands

what are strategies of behavioral methods

problem-focused: working harder, seeking assistance, acquiring additional resources

emotion-focused: engaging in alternative activities, seeking support, venting anger

what are strategies of cognitive methods

problem-focused: strategize, self motivating, changing priorities

emotion focused: avoiding, distancing, ignoring, looking for the positive in negative, reappraising

what is strain

refers to negative consequences associated with stress

types of strain

- physiological strains

- psychological strains

- behavioral strains

what is physiological strains

stress can have an impact on immune system, cardiovascular system, musculoskeletal system, and gastrointestinal system

what is psychological strains

stress can cause psychological symptoms such as depression and anxiety, which can lead to burnout

what is behavioral strains

alcohol and drug use, teeth grinding, compulsive behaviors, overeating

what is Type A behavior pattern

- Type A people tend to encounter more stressors than other people, due to the fact that they are hard-driving and competitive

- more likely to see demands as being stressful rather than benign

- more likely to have coronary artery disease and exhibit other physical and psychological symptoms of strain

types of social support

- instrumental support

- emotional support

what is instrumental support

help people receive that can be used to address the stressful demand directly

what is emotional support

help people receive in addressing the emotional distress that accompanies stressful demands

what is relationship conflict

disagreements among team members in terms of interpersonal relationships or incompatibilities with respect to personal values or preferences

what is task conflict

disagreement among members about the team's task