Effective Decision Making
Program Details
About the Program
A leader’s ability to make sound decisions can significantly affect their ability to create value for their organization as well as impact their career trajectory. History is full of leaders making brilliant and disastrous decisions. A great decision at the right time can lead to competitive advantage or positive customer impact, while a poor or late decision can create marketplace disappointment and internal dysfunction. Additionally, competitors keenly observe decisions that are made and work to capitalize on any missteps. Understanding when and how to make decisions is an immensely valuable leadership skill – knowing how to gather information from others, what data is available, and when enough information has been gathered and processed to move forward is critical. Pitfalls abound, including; waiting too long, hearing only what one wants to hear, analysis paralysis, getting derailed by bias, as well as trusting only one’s gut instinct.
Experience & Results
By implementing intentional and research-backed techniques, leaders can improve their ability to make value-add, quality decisions at the right time. During this interactive, two-day course, Professor Nathan Kuncel shares actionable and practical techniques for sound decision making, including the science behind why these techniques are effective. Participants will gain insight into anchoring and bias, group decision making, and balancing data with human judgment. The course will include small and large group discussions and interactive activities.
Group exercises and discussions will explore why groups generally discuss information that is common to all present and not explore the unique, valuable insights that only one member may be privy to. Participants will learn how to draw this information out and why this is critical to do. Participants will also explore the benefits of artificial intelligence, and how to thoughtfully integrate those insights into decision making processes.
Participants will take an assessment regarding their decision making styles and will receive feedback on their individual inclinations as well as information on how they compare to other Upper Midwest executives at their level. The course will conclude with an interactive simulation, which will pull together concepts learned throughout the two-day program. Participants will return to work with a decision checklist and other templates that can be used to help make important decisions rigorously.
Learn how you can customize this program for your organization.
Program Contact
- Email: croeckle@umn.edu
- Phone: 612-625-5412
- REQUEST COURSE CATALOG
Audience
- Managers
- Directors
- VPs
- C-Suite
Key Benefits
- Learn proven, actionable, and practical techniques to improve decision making quality
- Understand the common individual and group decision biases and what can be done to minimize their impact
- Learn and practice group decision making approaches that can lead to more informed decision making
- Explore how data can be used to inform human judgment and the limitations of both
- Discover how data can be visually represented to convince as well as to deceive
- Receive feedback on your individual decision style and how it relates to decision quality
- Learn to elicit and not stifle creative ideas and decision making
- Receive tools and frameworks that can be applied to enhance decision making
Schedule
Creative Decision Making
Data in Decision Making
Decision Making Styles
Decision Making Simulation
Faculty
Nathan R. Kuncel is the Marvin D. Dunnette Distinguished Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology and a McKnight Presidential Fellow at the University of Minnesota. Professor Kuncel, a nationally recognized leader in the field of industrial-organizational psychology, received his PhD from the University of Minnesota.