Decisions! Decisions!
From your perspective, what really constitutes an effective and successful decision?
I believe an effective and succesful decision may take a great deal of time to classify as such. A decision that reaps both short term and long term desired results falls in this category. How we define short and long term depend on the situation being discussed.
In the school business I think short term might be defined by a quarter or a "mod". Long term might be a year or more. So once we have the timeframe defined it makes it easier to determine if the decision was effective and successful.
In the end if the decision met your expectations and generated the desired results within the boundaries the team had in mind when the decision was made. Then and only then I think we can declare it's success and effectiveness. Thats just my opinion and the way I make such evaluations. Dr. Faulkner I have enjoyed the course.
David,
I have enjoyed having you in the class. I think you are right that many decisions have both short term and long term ramifications. The fact that you are looking at both short term implications and long term impact when you make decisions is again a good indicator that you are building an organization that will sustain its success. When you look at this that have had problems in our industry as well as others, they often times have been so focused on short term impact and results that they sacrifice their future.
Take care and keep in touch. If I can ever be of any help or you need to bounce something around let me know. My email is bfaulkner@pcitraining.edu.
David, Well said. I am new in the school business, specifically the management side and have found that short term decisions seem to be lacking from administration at times; every decision seems to be long term. Do you have suggestions on how I could have "the beginner voice" heard and have some short term ideas listened to?
Thanks,
Rebecca
Rebecca,
One thing that may help is to link your short term ideas to how they would impact key performance metrics that are important to your administration and also how they support long term goals.
Most administrations are looking for solutions to problems not just having the problem identified. Providing a solution that supports organizational objectives is welcome in most organizations so I would keep the great ideas flowing!!
Sincerely,
Dr.Faulkner
I feel that an effective and successful decision is in the best interest of the students at the institution in question. This flies in the face of most proprietary school decisions as these decisions are made in the best interest of the corporate entity. Public school decisions in this climate are made in the best interest of the budget. The needs of the student, the real reason we became teachers and administrators to begin with have been lost in seas of red ink. I have taught at both types of institutions and as a student-centered educator I am appalled.
Pamela,
I think that putting students at the center of our decision making in higher ed is what really seperates outstanding, sustainable institutions whether they are proprietary, non-profit private or public. I think you are correct that at times some institutions loose sight of this and forget to consider the impact of decisions on students. We all have tough decisions to make to ensure our instituions remain fiscally viable and work within budgets. To not make these tough decisions can risk the institutions ability to serve students effectively in the future. However, institutions that remain committed to the core values of quality instruction and service to students, and hold these priorities during both good and bad fiscal times, are the ones that typically prevail over the long term. Although there are many things to consider when managing budgets and making difficult decisions I have always appreciated the voices in the room that remind folks what impact decisions under consideration will have on students. What is your current position at your school?
Based on what I have learned from this course that making an effective and successful decison is to learn the process first. Once you have learned this process you then put this into motion by taking the time to identify and assess the issues related to making the decision. You should also involve other parties that will help add to the process of the the final decision.
Priscilla,
Hope you are enjoying the course. I think getting to the root cause of a problem is essential to making an effective decision and this decision making process helps you to get there more consistently. Can you think of any examples where you could have made a better decision using this process or alternatively provide an example of where you have made a good decision and the process you used to come to that decision?
Dr. Faulkner
A decision that is carefully and thoughtfully made is usually effective and successful. In order to do so, one needs to learn the miriad of processes that can be used for each situation...in effect giving the person or team the ability to create, taylor and execute the best possible process for a solution.
It is only successful if the decision has effectively made the impact that was desired!
I think an effective and successful decision includes representatives for all parties impacted by it for starters. Basing the decision on input that is weighed through the correct processes as described in this lesson. Clear communication afterwards with follow through makes it successful.
It really depends on the situation but if you talking about a process change, I feel the best way is to decide as a group
Dave,
In regards to a process change, how do you best come to an effective decision with a group of people from different functional areas and different viewpoints?
Dr. Faulkner
Allison,
Good point. What is often lost in the decision making process is what objective are we trying to acheive. Command and control organizations tend to not get appropriate input into decision making processes and collaborative organizational cultures sometimes compromise the primary objective in order to gain consensus. The sweet spot tends to be in the middle where collaboration occurs to get inputs from all appropriate parties but ensuring that in the end the decision facilitates the objective being acheived.
I always felt my most successful decisions were those where my staff was not only able to express their ideas and concerns via primarily advocacy of their positions, but more importantly that members involved in the decision making process understood true rationale behind my decision, and the factors that affected it.
Margarita,
I think you have hit on a really important point. Understanding the "why" behind a decision tends to create greater buy in from those involved in the decision making process who have to carry it out. Even though the decision may not completely represent each persons individual preferences,the collaborative process provides them with an understanding of why you came to the decision. If you have an example you could share I would love to hear it and I am sure it would be helpful to others in the course. Nice work.
Dr. Blake Faulkner
I believe a successful and effective decision comes from a collaborated effort that takes into account all the key components along with the input from the group that will most impact from the decision.
I would agree with Mike, a group effort with all the facts presented and final outcomes discussed represent a great learning environment. A thought to carry forward during this process is begin with the end in mind.
Michael,
Iinvolving key constituates that will be impacted is essential for purposes of enhancing buy in and arriving at best decision possible. Nicely done!
Dr. Blake Faulkner
Joseph,
Another good point. Keeping in mind the realities of the impact a decision will have when implemented is critically important.
Dr. Blake Faulkner
