VOLUNTEER MANAGERS' PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES

At our 17th June Managers’ Learning Circle we will be looking at:

PROBLEM SOLVING and DECISION MAKING


To be effective, supervisors and managers need to tackle problems in a systematic and rational manner. Where a problem could have more than one solution, the supervisor/manager must be able to decide the best alternative or option.

Problem solving should be structured and systematic - not a random or ad hoc activity. A systematic approach to problem solving and decision making leads to more efficient solutions.

This approach does not mean that supervisors/managers will not be creative or generate new ideas. On the contrary, it has been found time and again that those who have a systematic approach are more creative in both the identification and solution of problems.


We’ll also consider:

Wrong versus Bad Decisions

Everyone makes mistakes. Indeed, as my old boss used to say: "The person who has made no mistakes has done no work"!

But the fear of making a mistake can sometimes prevent us from making any decision at all. In this case we quickly get the reputation for being indecisive and unable to cope. However, a wrong decision is not necessarily a bad decision.

A wrong decision is one where the chosen action has not solved the problem.

A bad decision is one where the decision making process was irrational, biased, inappropriate or incomplete.

We need to adopt a systematic, logical process for making decisions.

We’ll practise a format to help guide our problem solving and decision making.