Read each decision case carefully and use the decision rules from the Normative Decision Model to guide your analysis of the situation. The order of priority for the three criteria is as follows: (1) quality, (2) acceptance, (3) time. In other words, after applying the guidelines to eliminate any decision procedure that risks quality and acceptance, then select the fastest remaining procedure. Only the following three decision procedures should be considered.

Autocratic Decision: the leader makes the decision alone without asking subordinates (or group members) for their ideas, suggestions, or preferences.

Consultation: the leader explains the decision problem to subordinates (or group members), asks them for their ideas and suggestions, and then makes the decision after careful consideration of their inputs.

Group Decision: the leader meets with subordinates (or group members) to discuss the problem and reach a joint decision; the leader runs the meeting but has no more influence over the final decision than any other group member.

Incident 5.You are the manager of a production facility with five operating departments. The department managers are your immediate subordinates. The budget expenses for your facility have just been reduced, without any reduction in workload. Now you have to decide how much to cut each department's budget. None of the department managers wants to suffer a budget cut, and each believes that his department's activities should have the highest priority. You find it difficult to evaluate how budget cuts would affect each department's capacity to do its work. This evaluation requires more detailed information about the current operations of each department. How would you decide where to make the budget cuts?

___Autocratic Decision___Consultation___Group Decision

Incident 6.You are the manager of six office workers who have identical jobs. The employees are all highly competent. It is time to set up the vacation schedule for the summer. It is company policy that only one worker can be on vacation at any given time. Each employee gets two weeks of vacation, but the vacation days do not have to be taken together. Four of the workers have expressed a strong desire to have their vacation in June. You do not know all the details, but are aware that some of the employees have special trips or important family events in June. Your subordinates are eager to find out the vacation schedule so they can make their plans. How should this decision be made?

___Autocratic Decision___Consultation___Group Decision