Split Second Decision Making
One
of the
problem solving techniques other than
the Rational
Decision Making Process is Split Second Decision Making. In
this
process a manager must rely on their reasoning, intuition,
education,
experience, knowledge, common sense and confidence in order to arrive
at a
decision quickly and effectively.
In
this kind of decision making we must focus on
a small set of key factors which influence the decision rather than
relying on
a large number of factors, solutions and possible outcomes. This type
of decision making allows not time for analysis; it is purely a quick
problem solving activity. Quick problem solving may not be the most
preferred way to approach strategic decisions or integrated situations,
but it is the fastest and the most effective way to fix a problem that
needs a fast solution or to stop a situation from
deteriorating. It
prevents damages that may have long-term effects.
In
split second decision making time is of the
essence, often the decisions need to be made in a minute and sometimes
in a few
seconds. During this short process of the "making of the
decision" you are using your best judgment and that's why it's
important to have developed and honed the ability to make the right
decision based on a a few key input variables.
Split second decision making it's about "thinking on your
feet" to save a situation . However, no matter how
the decision making happens, there's still a context to it. In
this type of decision making, we rely heavily
on our past experience, knowledge and memories. This is one of the
reasons that
aircraft pilots and firemen spend countless hours rehearsing fire
drills and
flying on the simulators. This is so that when an actual situation
occurs when
they need to make a decision in the blink of an eye, they are able to
sub-consciously draw on their past experiences and memories and make
the right
decision.
We
also do that in use this type of decision making when
driving our cars, particularly when avoiding accidents and close calls,
we also
use this technique when deciding our schedules, what to eat at a
restaurant and
hundred other situations that require us to make decisions quickly.
Split
second decision making is also about
relying on our intuition or gut feel and is one of the reasons
investors such
as Warren Buffet have been so successful in the past. However it would
not be a
reliable way of deciding whether a country should go to war or not –
based on
its presidents intuition or gut feel.
One
way to improve this ability is to work on
your critical thinking skills, critical thinking is using logic,
reasoning,
reflective thought and informed opinions to make decisions. Critical
thinking
can be developed through books and websites and also by attending
training
programs on both critical thinking skills and problem solving
techniques.
Malcolm Galdwell’s book Blink details this ability in detail and is a
great
reference guide for split second decision making and is filled with
examples
and illustrations detailing the concept.
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from Split Second Decision Making to Decision Making
Skills
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