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Assistant Professor

School of Business and Management

University of San Francisco

2130 Fulton Street, Malloy Room 208

San Francisco, CA  94117

(415) 422-4395

Post Office Box 1554, Millbrae, CA  94030

(650) 343-1059 (home); (650) 343-1334 (fax); (650) 922-4190 (cell)

OBlist

 

I have a small group of 8-10 CEO's (sales in the 50-100million range) from a variety of industries who are interested in a half to three quarter day session on decision making that blends theory with experiential exercises.

 

Would very much appreciate members of the listserv suggesting:

 

A) References or other resources for models of decision making

 

B) Experiential exercises, cases and vignettes that allow for the identification of the decision mode in use.

 

Regards

Kevin

Kevin B. Lowe, Ph.D
Professor and Department Head of Business Administration
McDowell Research Fellow
Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics
University of North Carolina - Greensboro
Greensboro, NC 27402

Phone: (336)-334-3055
Fax:     (336)-334-4141
Email: KBLowe@uncg.edu

Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.
---H.G. Wells Outline of History (1920)---

Colleagues,

When it comes to decision-making (problem solving), here you have what I share the following handouot with my students:

CASES AND CRITICAL THINKING (Problem Solving – Decision Making)

When discussing the use of cases as a tool to teach analytical thinking and/or critical thinking skills, Robert J. Sternberg (1985) indicates that cases are not related to the typical situations students will face in the outside world.  There is a lack of correspondence between what is required to teach critical thinking and what we normally done with the intention to develop critical thinking in schools, he said.  He identifies ten aspects of how these two types of problems differ from each other.  They are:

1. In the everyday world, the first and sometimes most difficult step in problem solving is the recognition that a problem exists.

2. In everyday problem solving, it is often harder to figure out just what the problem is than to figure out how to solve it.

3.  Everyday problems tend to be ill structured.

4. In everyday problem solving, it is not usually clear just what information will be needed to solve a given problem, nor is it always clear where the requisite information can be found.

5. The solutions to everyday problems depend on and interact with the contexts in which the problems are presented.

6.  Everyday problems generally have no one right solution, and even the criteria for what constitutes a best solution are often not clear.

7.  The solutions of everyday problems depend at least as much on informal knowledge as on formal knowledge.

8.  Solutions to important everyday problems have consequences that matter.

9.  Everyday problem solving often occurs in groups.

10. Everyday problems can be complicated, messy, and stubbornly persistent.

Adding two of my own (from the Systems Thinking Lit and others):

11.  Today's problems are created by decisions we made in the past (time lag), based on knowledge held valid then, which may not be valid anymore and will not help solve the problem today (this is based on Albert Einstein's ideas).

12.  The solution of a problem can (and will) lead to the development of new problems (unintended consequences), and delay responses.

[Robert Sternberg, "Teaching Critical Thinking, Part 1:  Are We Making Critical Mistakes?" Phi Delta Kappan, Vol 67, 3, (1985).]

My solution to this has been to use what I call "live cases," where no one really knows what would be next for a company or industry.  This approach has been greatly benefitted by the developments in information technologies, which allow students to access information almost on real time.

R. Ivan Blanco

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Then, we work on real life problems!  And there are plenty of them at this very moment. 

Thanks,

Ivan

Dear Colleagues, following up Ivan Blanco ideas, attached is an article Mark Melcher and I have prepared for Paul Nutt focusing on decision errors of the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th kind.  I hope you find it useful.  I think it could apply to executives very easy.

Kim Boal

Colleagues,

When it comes to decision-making (problem solving), here you have what I share the following handouot with my students:

CASES AND CRITICAL THINKING (Problem Solving – Decision Making)

When discussing the use of cases as a tool to teach analytical thinking and/or critical thinking skills, Robert J. Sternberg (1985) indicates that cases are not related to the typical situations students will face in the outside world.  There is a lack of correspondence between what is required to teach critical thinking and what we normally done with the intention to develop critical thinking in schools, he said.  He identifies ten aspects of how these two types of problems differ from each other.  They are:

1. In the everyday world, the first and sometimes most difficult step in problem solving is the recognition that a problem exists.

2. In everyday problem solving, it is often harder to figure out just what the problem is than to figure out how to solve it.

3.  Everyday problems tend to be ill structured.

4. In everyday problem solving, it is not usually clear just what information will be needed to solve a given problem, nor is it always clear where the requisite information can be found.

5. The solutions to everyday problems depend on and interact with the contexts in which the problems are presented.

6.  Everyday problems generally have no one right solution, and even the criteria for what constitutes a best solution are often not clear.

7.  The solutions of everyday problems depend at least as much on informal knowledge as on formal knowledge.

8.  Solutions to important everyday problems have consequences that matter.

9.  Everyday problem solving often occurs in groups.

10. Everyday problems can be complicated, messy, and stubbornly persistent.

Adding two of my own (from the Systems Thinking Lit and others):

11.  Today's problems are created by decisions we made in the past (time lag), based on knowledge held valid then, which may not be valid anymore and will not help solve the problem today (this is based on Albert Einstein's ideas).

12.  The solution of a problem can (and will) lead to the development of new problems (unintended consequences), and delay responses.

[Robert Sternberg, "Teaching Critical Thinking, Part 1:  Are We Making Critical Mistakes?" Phi Delta Kappan, Vol 67, 3, (1985).]

My solution to this has been to use what I call "live cases," where no one really knows what would be next for a company or industry.  This approach has been greatly benefitted by the developments in information technologies, which allow students to access information almost on real time.

R. Ivan Blanco

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Then, we work on real life problems!  And there are plenty of them at this very moment. 

Thanks,

Ivan

Very interesting.  I'm thinking in the back of my mind about Hal Leavitt (Pathfinders:  leaders need to CREATE more problems) and Robert Fritz's book the Path of Least Resistance (about how a problem solving orientation to the world creates unproductive oscillation based on reactive responsiveness).   He also proposed a way out of that.   So many interesting slants to every issue.  Life's too short to learn it all.  And then, if we knew what to teach them, how do students learn best?  (It's a rhetorical question because I'm sure you/we all have your/our best answers ready...)

Colleagues,

When it comes to decision-making (problem solving), here you have what I share the following handouot with my students:

CASES AND CRITICAL THINKING (Problem Solving – Decision Making)

When discussing the use of cases as a tool to teach analytical thinking and/or critical thinking skills, Robert J. Sternberg (1985) indicates that cases are not related to the typical situations students will face in the outside world.  There is a lack of correspondence between what is required to teach critical thinking and what we normally done with the intention to develop critical thinking in schools, he said.  He identifies ten aspects of how these two types of problems differ from each other.  They are:

1. In the everyday world, the first and sometimes most difficult step in problem solving is the recognition that a problem exists.

2. In everyday problem solving, it is often harder to figure out just what the problem is than to figure out how to solve it.

3.  Everyday problems tend to be ill structured.

4. In everyday problem solving, it is not usually clear just what information will be needed to solve a given problem, nor is it always clear where the requisite information can be found.

5. The solutions to everyday problems depend on and interact with the contexts in which the problems are presented.

6.  Everyday problems generally have no one right solution, and even the criteria for what constitutes a best solution are often not clear.

7.  The solutions of everyday problems depend at least as much on informal knowledge as on formal knowledge.

8.  Solutions to important everyday problems have consequences that matter.

9.  Everyday problem solving often occurs in groups.

10. Everyday problems can be complicated, messy, and stubbornly persistent.

Adding two of my own (from the Systems Thinking Lit and others):

11.  Today's problems are created by decisions we made in the past (time lag), based on knowledge held valid then, which may not be valid anymore and will not help solve the problem today (this is based on Albert Einstein's ideas).

12.  The solution of a problem can (and will) lead to the development of new problems (unintended consequences), and delay responses.

[Robert Sternberg, "Teaching Critical Thinking, Part 1:  Are We Making Critical Mistakes?" Phi Delta Kappan, Vol 67, 3, (1985).]

My solution to this has been to use what I call "live cases," where no one really knows what would be next for a company or industry.  This approach has been greatly benefitted by the developments in information technologies, which allow students to access information almost on real time.

R. Ivan Blanco

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Then, we work on real life problems!  And there are plenty of them at this very moment. 

Thanks,

Ivan

Kevin,

I'd recommend a number of things. 

First chapter of Kaplan and Norton Strategy Maps and new Starbucks case (UVA-OB-970) by Scott Snell:  If you were in H Schulz's position returning, what would you do and why? (can you give your strategy elevator speech?)

Chicago Park District A case (followed by B later):  If you were in the new General Superintendent's position, what would you do and why?  (Culture eats strategy for breakfast)  (with CD ROM and video clips that include diverse managers)

Sim Sitkin has already mentioned Carter Racing which works well in exploring decision making style.

The various survival exercises (Desert, NASA, Beached, etc.) do a similar job but would CEO's "tolerate" this?

Erika James' simulation on crisis management with the Exxon Valdez case. 

Whole Foods case also with Kaplan and Norton's model.

Perhaps these will help.

Cheers,

   Jim

James G. S. Clawson

Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business Administration

Darden GSB,  University of Virginia

Mail:  Box 6550  Charlottesville, VA 22906

Packages: 100 Darden Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA 22903

Phone:  434-924-7488             Fax:  434-243-7680

Web:  http://faculty.darden.virginia.edu/clawsonj/
Podcast on Powered by Feel: http://www.darden.virginia.edu/podcasts/index.asp

Kevin,

attached is my "lunch and learn" on decision making. All of the content is referenced although the citations are not included in the presentation.

--
Dan Novak, Ph.D.
6821 Sawgrass Dr.
Fort Worth, TX, 76132
817-690-4639