Effective Management Decision Making - Essay Example

Effective decision-making is crucial in any organization and the people charged with the responsibility of making decisions need to be extra cautious since their decisions depict what happens in the whole organization. However, some organizations such as those in the health sector need even more keenness while making decisions. Poor decision-making by managers can have fatal consequences on the image and also the success of the organization as a whole. Therefore, organizations should ensure that their decision-makers are deeply reliable and have the capability of making wise decisions.

The health care sector is highly complex and therefore requires utmost efficiency in terms of making decisions. When making decisions concerning a given problem or situation it is necessary to first make sure that the problem at hand is well understood. A detailed analysis of the problem may be laid down in a bid to ensure that the decisions made leave no loopholes. Failure to understand the situation or problem in play may lead to wrong decisions without having solved the real problem. For instance, research showed that experienced nurse executives make quick decisions without “a thorough analysis, a strategy that may result in the right decision for the wrong problem” (Effken, Verran, Logue, and Hsu 2010, p.3). This implies that an analysis of the problem plays a great role in making the right decisions.

 After the analysis, all possible solutions should be stipulated in line with the situation at hand. All alternatives presented should be received with an open mind and an alternative should only be dismissed due to its inability to provide a solution and not just because it may be unpleasant to a particular individual. Carefully considering all alternatives the best one should be identified followed by a suitable execution plan. Having taken the best course of action, it is highly likely that the right decision will be made. Effective decisions should give solutions to the root causes not just the general problems thereby ensuring that the problem is not frequently recurrent. This may be particularly important in nursing to ensure that the diagnosis given attains the full cure of the patients.

In making managerial decisions, it is important to first try to predict the implications at each level since they affect the whole organization. Effective decision-making is important since it leads to the achievement of organizational goals. Realization of the set objectives is only possible through cooperation across the entire organization. Effective decisions by the management leave all the parties such as health practitioners and patients satisfied and this should be the goal of organizational decisions. For effective decision making, the management must consider suggestions and interests of all stakeholders and then make an informed decision that leaves all parties satisfied or at least serves the greater good of the organization. Satisfaction in decisions made may be arrived at by ensuring transparency. Therefore, collective decision-making may arguably be considered better than individual decision-making.

Managerial decisions are critical and can either lead to motivation or demotivation of employees. With effective decision-making, employees feel motivated and satisfied with their work and always give the best results. For instance, a decision by the management to reward the best nurses may impact greatly on boosting nurses’ morale hence better performance. On the other hand, a management system that does not reward its nurses may result in great demotivation hence poor performance. The health practitioners may feel that their efforts are not recognized and appreciated and hence opt to put little effort. In the end, the customers may feel duped and dissatisfied thereby resulting in the organizations’ failure. In addition, effective decision-making involves balancing the resources used with the magnitude of the problem or situation. This may be achieved by balancing resources used in the decision-making process and also resources allocated to solving the problem.

However, effective decision-making does not only cover satisfaction but also timeliness. In the health system, timing is key and delays may have negative implications even to the health of patients. Managers should be able to make appropriate decisions within the preferred time frame to avoid fatalities.