In the previous module we about learned about group decision-making techniques as well as some of the advantages and disadvantages of group
decision making- organizational leaders are paid to make tough decisions, but as you learned in the last module it is not always best for leaders to
make decisions by themselves, and there are advantages to consulting your employees- However, leaders unavoidably face situations Where they
have to make a decision on their own-
80 When should leaders make decisions on their own and When should they use a group decision-making approach? The answer is not so clear-cut,
but fortunately some prominent leadership researchers have developed a tool to help leaders decide What kind of decision-making style to use
based on the situation they face-
Yale management professor Victor Vroom along With his colleague Philip Yetton classify decision-making styles into three categories- The first is
autocratic, Which means the leader makes the decision on her own Without consulting her employees- The second is consultative, meaning the
leader seeks the opinions of employees before making the decision but still makes the decision he thinks is best regardless of What advice is given-
Finally, there is the group-based style- In this case, the leader not only consults employees on the decision but also accepts the decision of the
group-
Vroom and Yetton go beyond simply classifying decision-making styles but also provide a tool for choosing your style- To decide on what kind of
decision-making style to use, they recommend analyzing the decision based on the following questions (taken from Vroom {19761}:
1- Does the problem possess a quality requirement?
2- Do I have sufficient information to make a high-quality decision?
3- Is the problem structured?
4- Is acceptance of the decision by subordinates important for effective implementation?
5- IfI make the decision myself, am I reasonably certain that it would be accepted by my subordinateS?
6- Do subordinates share the organizational goals to be attained in solving this problem?
7- Is conflict among the subordinates likely in preferred solutionS?
For this assignment think about a specific decision that was made by your supervisor in the organization you currently work for or have worked for in
the past- Review the background materials carefully on the Vroom-Yetton model and think about how this model applies to this decision that you
experienced- Then write a 2- to 3-page paper applying the Vroom-Yetton model to this decision:
1- Describe the decision that management had to make, and also whether their decision-making style was autocratic, consultative, or group-based-
Explain your reasoning-
2- Go through Vroom-Yetton’s seven questions and apply these questions to their diagram to see what decision-making style their model suggests-
Briefly explain the reasoning behind your answers to the seven questions-
3- Conclude your paper With a discussion of whether or not you would recommend this model to your supervisor and whether or not you were
surprised by the recommendation given by this model regarding decision-making style-
