4.2 Additional Content
Techniques for Making Better Nonprogrammed Decisions
Step 4: Selecting an Alternative
Once alternative options have been generated and analyzed, the decision maker must select one of the
options. Sometimes this is easy - one option is clearly superior to the others. Often, however, this is a
challenge because there is not a clear "winner" in terms of the best alternative. As mentioned earlier in the
chapter, there may be multiple good options, and which one will be best is unclear even after gathering all
available evidence. There may not be a single option that doesn't upset some stakeholder group, so you will
make someone unhappy no matter what you choose. A weak decision maker may become paralyzed in this
situation, unable to select among the various alternatives for lack of a clearly "best" option. They may decide
to keep gathering additional information in hopes of making their decision easier. As a manager, it's
important to think about whether the benefit of gathering additional information will outweigh the cost of
waiting. If there are time pressures, waiting may not be possible.
Recognize that perfection is unattainable
Effective managers recognize that they will not always make optimal (best possible) decisions because they
don't have complete information and/or don't have the time or resources to gather and process all the
possible information. They accept that their decision-making will not be perfect and strive to make good
decisions overall. Recognizing that perfection is impossible will also help managers to adjust and change if
they realize later on that the selected alternative was not the best option.
Talk to other people
This is another point in the process at which talking to others can be helpful. Selecting one of the alternatives
will ultimately be your responsibility, but when faced with a difficult decision, talking through your choice with
someone else may help you clarify that you are indeed making the best possible decision from among the
available options. Sharing information verbally also causes our brains to process that information differently,
which can provide new insights and bring greater clarity to our decision-making.