Page 109 - Communication in Organizations Basic Skills and Conversation Models

Communication in organizations 98

because the participants have identical interpretations and strengthen one another’s
opinions. Then there are insufficient people represented holding different views. Third,
there may be a possible deficiency of skills. If the necessary skills to lead the decision-
taking process in the right direction are not present, then insufficient discussion of the
various possibilities and the arguments can result. Again this can end with over-hasty or
unsound decisions being made.
There are both advantages and disadvantages to a decision-taking pro-cess in which a
number of participants are involved. Within an organization the balance of pros and cons
must be made before embarking on a decision-taking process involving the participation
of different parties. Vroom and Yetton (1973) describe a number of situations that are
appropriate for this:

• the various parties have a need for a lot of information regarding the various aspects of
the subject in question
• the nature of the question is unclear: what is it actually about, what is the problem, what
are the causes and the consequences?
• a question of the employees is acknowledged as a problem
• employees consider the resolution of a problem or the handling of a problem important
• acceptance of the decision is relevant for its implementation
• employees feel the need for independence
• the time limit is not too pressing.
There are various ways of coming to a decision together. In this chapter we discuss a
phase model, the goal of which is to reach a decision with the participation of various
parties. Every phase has its pitfalls and we cover these phases one by one and illustrate
them with the practical example of Dinner Ltd. We then deal with the difficulties that
must be overcome at each phase and the communication skills required by discussion
leaders. Three techniques to develop a group solution or strategy are described. The
chapter ends with an overview of the decision-making process.

Phases in the decision-making process

In an organization countless decisions must be taken daily. For example, during a work
consultation decisions must be taken regarding division of tasks in the carrying out of
various projects. We do not concern ourselves here with this type of decision, but rather
limit ourselves to situations where the taking of decisions is often the most difficult:
namely situations that are viewed as undesirable and therefore demanding change.

Phase 0: Point out the undesirable (present) situation
If people within an organization believe that a current situation no longer fulfils certain
criteria, this can be the beginning of a changing process and of the necessity of making
decisions to bring about change. The situation gives rise to feelings of uneasiness and
causes criticism. To bring about change the unsatisfied person must express their
dissatisfaction with the existing situation and the willingness to do something about it
must be present: