13 Jan Does the information in

Module 1 discussion

What Is Your Decision-Making Style?

Do a search on Google or Bing on “decision-making quiz” or “decision-making questionnaire” and find quiz that you find interesting that evaluates your own decision-making style. Don’t fill out the first quiz that you find, instead look around at a few quizzes first and find one that you think seems to fit most with the material covered in the module and seems to be useful. Then fill out this quiz that you find the most useful.

Share the link and the results of the quiz with your classmates. Were the results surprising to you? Explain whether or not you found the quiz useful and also what concepts from the background materials applied to the results of the quiz (cite the specific background reading that was relevant).

Also, take at least one other quiz posted by one of your classmates and share your results and thoughts on the quiz.

Module 2 discussion

Decision-Making Bias Videos

Most of the sources in the background materials are library textbook chapters or journal articles. In general, these sources are considered much more credible than various random webpages that you will find online. When finding an online source, you need to carefully consider the credibility of the source. Factors to consider include the credentials of the person who wrote the materials, whether this person is trying to sell you something, and of course you also need to use your own intuition as to whether or not a source seems credible.

Your task for this discussion is to go to YouTube or videos.google.com and find a video that explains cognitive/heuristic biases covered in the background materials such as confirmation bias, overconfidence bias, etc. Use word searches such as “decision-making biases,” “heuristic biases,” “overconfidence, anchoring, framing, confirmation bias,” and similar searches. You should find many videos, but the difficult part will be to try to find a video that is A) relevant to the topics covered in the module, B) from a credible source, and C) easy to understand and follow.

To find a video from a very credible source, look at a video from Nobel Prize winner and heuristic bias expert Daniel Kahneman. Credible yes, but I can’t guarantee you will stay awake during the video. So see if you can also find a video from a source that appears credible but and has information consistent with the background material readings but also keeps you awake and helps you understand the different types of decision-making biases.

Share the link with your classmates and explain why you think the video is both useful and credible, and which biases from the background materials the video helps explain.

Also, watch at least one other video posted by your classmates and share your thoughts on this video.

Module 3 discussion

Group Decision-Making Videos

There are numerous videos on group decision making available online. Some of them are very professional; others seem somewhat amateurish or are designed for or by high school students.

Do a search on YouTube for videos on group decision making or on specific group decision-making techniques discussed in the background materials. Choose a video you found to be very useful at explaining the techniques in the background materials, and another video that you found to be amateurish or not very useful.

Post the links and share with your classmates. Also, share with your classmates what you found useful and not useful about each video, and whether or not you recommend your classmates view the video to prepare for their written assignments.

Module 4 discussion

Vroom-Yetton Decision-Making Model Sources

The Vroom-Yetton decision-making style model is one of the toughest topics that we’ve covered in the class. In essence it is fairly simple—as a leader, the style you choose for making a decision depends on the situation. What makes it more difficult though is that the diagram and other features can be intimidating.

For this discussion, first review the background readings on this model. Then find some sources online regarding this model—they can be either webpages or a videos. Make sure the information presented in this source matches what you’ve read in the background materials, but also find one that you think helps simplify or explain this model in a clear manner.

Share the link to this source with your classmates and address the following issues:

Is the source credible?

Does the information in the source regarding the Vroom-Yetton model match what you’ve read in the background materials?

Why do you find this source easier to follow? How did it help you understand this model?

Module 4 reflective discussion

Integration

Given the readings and assignments in the course, explain how taking this course has given you new insights into your own profession and career. Describe two concepts from this course that you think are most applicable to your career.