Decision Making: Implementation and Evaluation

Welcome! This is the Decision Making: Implementation and Evaluation course, and this is the fifth course of the Decision-making and Problem-solving for Business series.

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FAQs

A business decision usually begins a long process of change. Implementing the decision for change requires careful planning.

Implementing a business decision is a lot like playing a chess game. You already know your goal. To reach that goal you have to consider your resources, your alternatives, and your opposition.

In this topic, you'll explore a technique for analyzing the forces that drive or restrain an implementation. This technique is called "force-field analysis" and was developed by Kurt Lewin, a pioneer in the study of change. Lewin suggests that change results from the relationship of competing forces.

After integration teams create a force-field diagram, how do they use it? Next, you'll see how an automotive components manufacturer used a force-field analysis while implementing a new method of buying raw materials.

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It recommends moving forward without making changes to alter the influence of driving and restraining forces. Is this the correct decision, based on the data given?

In this topic, you learned to create a force-field analysis diagram, and then analyze it by:

• estimating the probability of a successful implementation

• examining the restraining forces

• examining the driving forces.

Many companies have one person who seems to be able to get things done. But should a company rely on one person to implement a major decision? That's a heavy load for anyone to carry, especially if the decision will affect people throughout the company.

Listing the root actions is only half the job. Next, the team analyzed the resulting list of root actions to begin creating an implementation strategy.

The integration team decides to create a timeline for each of the three branches of action. Team members from each department receive assignments for actions across all three major action branches.

When it comes to business decisions, don't be a couch potato. Manage the implementation of your decisions with as much care and attention as possible. Your career success will grow in lock step with that of your organization.

It's often said that "Two heads are better than one." But when it comes to implementing a business decision, you want to engage more than your colleagues' brainpower: You want their hearts behind the decision as well.

In fact, valid strategies include making an explicit request for gatekeeper support and involvement and using only qualified experts. Don't hesitate to rely on external experts. Your release of information will depend on the circumstance.

But he was ultimately ineffective because the ophthalmologists he invited to speak to employees had no direct knowledge or experience with the retina scan technology.

In this topic, you'll discover several ways to effectively cope with adjustments during decision implementation:

• Remember that no decision is final.

• Make needed adjustments promptly.

• Examine any new training requirements.

In this topic, you'll learn to apply these strategies to manage resistance to a business decision:

• holding one-on-one meetings with resistance leaders

• setting up a concrete feedback loop

Would you be concerned if the pilot of your plane failed to monitor the instruments at all times?

In this topic, you'll learn how to assess a business decision by:

• examining adverse objective consequences of the action

• examining adverse social consequences of the action

• determining the degree to which you solved your business problem.

Some of the most precise individuals at gymnastic competitions aren't the gymnasts. They're the judges. They look for flaws in the competitors' routines and then rate their overall success.

In fact, Joanne examined both the adverse objective and social consequences properly but was ultimately ineffective in her evaluation because she didn't use her decision success rating to study ways she could have improved her choice.

In this topic, you'll learn how to effectively address decision failure by using these strategies:

don't sugarcoat the situation,

divorce the failure from the people involved, and

form a decision review team.

Use this job aid as a reference to ensure that stakeholders remain involved with the implementation of your business decision.

Use this job aid to manage the resistance of colleagues to the implementation of your business decision. Techniques and tips for managing the resistance of colleagues

Use this job aid to help you address and take the first steps to recover from decision failure. Strategies and tips to address and recover from decision failure.

There are three basic steps in implementing a decision:

1. form an integration team

2. establish an implementation calendar

3. create an ongoing communication plan

Implementing a decision means making change. Change is subject to drive factors or constraining factors. If you can identify these factors, you can evaluate your priorities more clearly.

A grass-roots analysis is a simple diagram that can help your team map the detailed steps required to reach a major goal.

When working towards a major goal, it is best to form an integration team – that is, a team that features representatives from all relevant departments and competencies.

You can harness stakeholder involvement during the implementation of your business decision by

- involving important gatekeepers first

- bringing in know-how

- championing the decision

While implementing a decision, you may meet obstacles. It is crucial that you deal with obstacles effectively. There are several techniques for coping with adjustments during decision implementation.

Two strategies to manage resistance to a business decision are

1. holding one-on-one meetings with resistance leaders

2. setting up a concrete feedback loop

Never leave a business decision behind until you have thoroughly evaluated its end result. You can perform this evaluation by

• examining the negative objective consequences of the action

• examining the negative social consequences of the action

• determining the degree to which you solved the business problem

The following strategies will be considered:

• examining adverse objective consequences of the decision

• examining adverse social consequences of the decision

• determining the degree to which the business problem was resolved

When decisions fail, as some inevitably do, take action. Colleagues will expect you to do so. Your success and their confidence in your abilities hang in the balance.

Use this learning aid to answer questions about Tim's team's use of grass-roots analysis .

Use this learning aid to answer the questions about Virginia's strategies to evaluate her decision.

Use this learning aid to answer the questions about Walker's strategies to evaluate his decision.

Use this learning aid to answer the questions about Jason's team's use of grass-roots analysis.

Lillian leads a project integration team for a specialty grocery chain. Her team prepares a grass-roots analysis to begin implementing a plan to increase sales of gourmet foods by 40 percent.

Joanne managed the operations department of a company that manufactured water filtration systems. It sold the majority of its products to governmental agencies

Congratulations! You finished the Decision Making: Implementation and Evaluation course, and this is the fifth course of the Decision-making and Problem-solving for Business series.

The Power of Professional Development - Why Investing in Your Career is Always Relevant

The recent focus has been on setting decisions into motion and evaluating how well they meet intended goals, but a key question remains: how does one keep the momentum alive over the long term? Implementation often seems like a finish line when it is actually the beginning of a new and potentially evolving chapter. A decision, once put into action, can drift off course if there is no plan to continually monitor and enhance it. It is essential to remain vigilant by revisiting core objectives and staying open to potential improvements. That ongoing attention to progress prevents small issues from growing into larger problems and fosters an environment where innovation can flourish.

You think knowing stuff changes the game? You think sitting in a library, stacking up facts like you’re building a Jenga tower, is gonna make you a winner? Man, that’s cute. But life ain't a trivia night. Information alone? It’s worthless. It’s like having a Lamborghini in your garage but you never learned how to drive. You just sit in it, making engine noises. Vroom vroom. People walk by, they see the car, but they also see you ain't going nowhere. You got all this knowledge, all these textbooks, but when life throws a punch, you’re still looking up the definition of "duck." It’s what you *do* with that information that actually matters. Don't be the person with the shiny car and no keys.