Feedback on the Philosophy of Decision Making

This week’s discussion is about decision making & creativity. Decision making is defined as identifying solutions and choosing amongst those alternate solutions that could lead to a desired state of affairs. Decision making is an important skill to have in any managerial environment. It is something we do every day whether we realize it or not, such as waking up and deciding what we should eat.
We chose this Ted Talk to discuss decision making that we might find hard or difficult to do. For the most part, we all have dealt with making hard decisions which were time consuming and took a toll on our mental health. When we are faced with difficult decisions, we rely heavily on system 2 thinking (analytical and conscious thought) compared to easy decisions which may just rely on system 1 thinking (intuitive and largely unconscious thought). Ruth Chang breaks down our view of hard choices in our lives to then easier evaluate the solutions we have to decide from.
In a hard choice, we consider them as big choices. But the same dilemma can happen when choosing breakfast – do you want healthy food or tasty food? By realizing that making even these small choices are hard. We ask ourselves why are choices hard to choose from?
Ruth said that what makes choices hard is the way alternatives relate. In an easy choice, one alternative is better than the other. In a hard choice, one alternative is better in some ways, and the other is better in other ways. She concluded that neither alternatives are better than the other overall.
Choices are difficult because they cannot be easily broken down into numbers. We shouldn’t believe that there are only three possibilities which are being better, worse or equal to the other. Ruth introduced a new possibility that alternatives are “on a par.” When decisions are on a par, neither is better or worse than the other. Just like when Ruth was choosing between being a philosopher and a lawyer, she had to consider the pros and cons for each. She eventually settled on a lawyer out of fear since she didn’t think she could get a job as a philosopher, and to her, lawyering seemed to be a better option. Later on, she switched back to becoming a philosopher. Looking at all the job choices, you may list all the advantages of each but still cannot choose one over the other. We need to see hard choices as empowering. As Ruth said “A world full of only easy choices would enslave us to reason.”
So, when making a hard choice, Ruth said “we shouldn’t beat our heads against a wall figuring out which alternative is better than the other.” Instead of looking around for reasons, we should be asking ourselves “who am I to be?” The answers we get from hard choices are different for each of us and rely heavily on our preference.
When making a decision, it’s important to consider the four styles of decision making.
Directive Style: Efficient, practical and systematic approach to decision making. This style focuses on facts and being in control.
Analytical Style: Take things with caution, possibly over analyze the situation and think everything through in the decision. This style likes to consider every angle and alternative in making a division.
Conceptual Style: Focusing on the people or social aspect of work situations. Considers the information of others and factors into the decision-making process.
Behavioral Style: Prefer verbal information, are open to listening to the opinions/information of others and can sometimes be too concerned about others.
Creativity is an important part of this week’s topic as well when considering that it can influence the way managers run their office. There’s creativity in managing the performance of employees, finding innovative ways to boost performance in workers, and organizational culture. Just imagine yourself not being able to express your creative thinking, it prevents your intellectual ability to learn and grow overall.
The greatest question to think about this week is what techniques, perspectives or models can we use for effective decision making? Please watch Ruth Chang’s Ted Talk to build on to your decision-making styles. At the end of this presentation, we hope you can take away some important notes from our chosen Ted Talk and our PowerPoint to better consider the aspects of your decision making. We’d also like you to consider some of these discussion questions and give us some insight on your experiences with making decisions and being creative.
Discussion Questions
Do you agree with Ruth Chang’s philosophy on decision making?
Describe a time where you had to make a decision quickly, how did it affect your decision making?
Based on the four decision-making styles, which one would you say you mostly align towards?
In chapter 11, there are 8 biases that can simplify our decision making, which one do you best agree with in your own personal decision making?
What is your favorite way to spark creativity? (could be for a school project/paper or outside of school)

https://www(dot)ted(dot)com/talks/ruth_chang_how_to_make_hard_choices?language=en#t-785080
Read the presentation and watch the video, and write a feedback.