Question & Answer: Develop a section on the Decision-Making Processes. Develop a section on Conflict…..

Decision making:

It is a very crtical process for any organization as resulted decisions directly impact the business. In this process, we choose one course of action from a few feasible alternatives.Decision making can be made on an individual level or in a group. It is step by step process which needs proper planning and execution.

> Problem identification is the first step. One should understand what is the exact problem, affected parties of the problem, what are the consequences if problem is not solved and does the problem has any deadline to be solved with in

> Next information regarding the factors influencing and affecting the problems have to be collected. Stakeholders information has to be gathered and factors should be thoroughly understood from them.

> Now , we have to arrive at various alternatives possible to solve the problem. Once we have the alternatives, criteria required to judge the alternatives have to be decided.

> Once we have alternatives and criteria set, involve all stakeholders in the discussion and evaluate the alternatives. The result if this discussion would be choosing an alternative

> Now, the decision has to be converted into a plan and sequence of activities. Decision has to be executed and the results need to be evaluated to learn and make necessary corrections in the future processes

Conflict Resolution:

  It is methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of a conflict between various parties. There are mainly five ways of dealing with the conflict

(I) Compete or Fight : It is win/lose situation. The party with more strength and power wins

(II) Collaboration: It is the ideal out come possible. It is a win – win situation for both the parties.

(III) Compromise or Negotiation: In this both parties give up something in favour of an agreed mid-point solution. Takes much lesser time than collaboration. The result is better than win/lose and less than win/win

(IV)Avoidance: In this both pretend that there is no problem at all. It is helpful in those type of conflicts which gets automatically resolved over time. Otherwise, there are high chances that this method can result in a lose/lose situation.

(V) Smoothing over the problem: On the surface harmony is maintained but, underneath , the conflict still exists.It is bit similar to avoidance. If one person is ok with this smoothing and the other remains in conflict, it creates a win/lose situation again.

Conflicts arise for a variety of different reasons. It is very important to define clealry our own position and interests in the conflict and also understand those of the opponents. Based on this a proper conflict resolution strategy has to be used.

Stress Management Techniques:

Yoga , Excercise and Meditation techniques help in managing stress both in personal and professional life. Other ways to manage stress could be

> Good time management can effectively control stress levels. One should learn to prioritize the tasks, proper planning to do them helps in not stressing out. Measures should be taken that we are not overscheduled.

> If physical surroudings around us are well organized, we can reduce the stress of misplaced objects and clutter.

> While planning for the day, frequent breaks between the work help us to relax a bit anf productivity also increases. It is always suggested to take planned breaks.

Motivation:

Increased motivation helps in improving performance, raising one’s morale and hence boosting productivity.

Different motivators work for different people. Many organizations follow several motivation techniques to keep their employees motivated. Several common ones among them are:

Positive work environment: This includes encouraging team work, idea – sharing , ensuring that employees have enough skill sets and knwoledge to perform their jobs. Conficts should be prevented for a positive environment. If they arise , they have to be resolved immediately.

Recognition : Motivation can be increased by providing incentives to work. There could be individual incentives or group incentives. Financial incentives could be cash prize, gift cards , etc. Non financial could be extra vacation days, compressed work weeks,etc. Employees should be celebrated. This could be done by employee of the month or star awards and so on. Profit sharing is another way of recognising good performance.

Professional growth: Employees have to be encouraged to meet their educational goals. Organizing workshops to omprove their skill sets would keep them motivated. Employees can be offered mentoring programmes to help them grow professionally.

Adapting Project Management Styles:

There are different management styles and a particular style has to be chosen based on the situation or the project. Some styles are discussed below

> Tell : In this, the manager takes the decision and communicates it to the employees. It’s useful when addressing safety issues, government regulations etc. These don’t require inputs from employees.

> Sell: The manager makes the decision and attempts to persuade the employees to align with the decision made. Committment od employees is gained by selling the postive parts of the decision taken. Employees can influence how the decision has to be implemented but don’t have a role in making the decision.

> Consult : The manager takes employees inputs but the final decision is taken by the manager. This method keeps employees motivated as their opinions are taken into consideration. But if their inputs weren’t used, it might lead to employee dissatisfaction.