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

Incident 3

You have been appointed the chairperson of a committee formed to coordinate the interdependent activities of several departments in the company. Coordination problems have interfered with the flow of work, causing bottlenecks, delays, and wasted effort. The coordination problems are complex, and solving them requires knowledge of on-going events in the different departments. Even though you are the designated chairperson, you have no formal authority over the other members, who are not your subordinates. You depend on committee members to return to their respective departments and implement the decisions made by the committee. You are glad that most members appear to be sincerely interested in improving coordination among departments.

___Autocratic Decision___Consultation___Group Decision

Incident 4.You are a store manager in a large chain of retail stores. The manager of another store in town has been caught short handed, and your boss, the regional manager has asked you to loan the other store one of your employees for a few days. You know the qualifications of your employees and there are several who could do the work in the other store. It would be the same kind of work they are doing now. The work schedule in your store could be adjusted to allow any of the employees to be away for a few days. It is now evening, and the employee to be selected must be notified soon so that he or she will report to the other store tomorrow. How would you decide which person to send?

___Autocratic Decision___Consultation___Group Decision

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.