Endowment Chair: Team Decision-Making Process

Endowed Chair
Student’s Name
Institution
Endowed Chair
Overview
Decision-making is a complex process, particularly when the alternatives are competing. Our team was tasked with selecting the best candidate to fill the endowed chair position. The final three candidates for the position are serious contenders and this further made the decision-making process complex. Our team was comprised of five members from all the departments in the School of Business except Accounting and Information Systems Department. I represented the Finance Department, Gabriel represented Management and Strategy Department, Ellene represented Managerial Economics and Decisions Department, Jennifer represented Marketing department, and finally, Vu represented Organizational Behavior Department. While it significant to have members from other departments, working with them in the decision-making process is more challenging compared to working with members from my department. However, this did not stop the team from selecting the best candidate for the position. The team examined the qualifications of the three candidates and settled on Pat Stone. This was not an easy undertaking and this paper explains how the team arrived at the decision.
Team Decision-Making Process
The task for the team was to select the best candidate from the three to fill the endowed chair position. The inclusion of members from other departments meant that different skills and experience in the School of Business were brought together. As such, with members from the different departments, we were in a better position to select the best candidate to meet the interests of the school. Understanding the key task for the team was essential in order for the members to be on the same page. The group used the combination of both advocacy and inquiry in the decision-making process. Inquiry may seem like an accurate and ideal method of arriving at decisions, however, it was difficult for team members to discuss the issue at hand without voicing their opinions and trying to convince others why a certain candidate is better compared to another. As such, a combination of both inquiry and advocacy helped the group in arriving at the decision. In this section, I elaborate on how the team came to settle on Pat Stone as the best candidate for the position.
After we were acquainted with one another, we began by sharing the information. While each one of us had information about the three candidates, the information was different. Therefore, sharing the information by each person was a significant first step towards selecting the candidate that would meet the interests of the school. As such, one by one everyone shared the information they had on the candidates. This was an engaging process and at the end of it all, we had made major progress towards selecting the candidate for the position. We had begun feeling comfortable in the team. As informed by Kouzes & Posner (2012), when members feel part of the team, the quality of the decision-making process and the quality and accuracy of communication are increased. After sharing the information we had, we were more acquainted with one another and this was good for the team as it helped towards moving to the next activity.
We ...