Decision-making means selecting a course of action out of alternative courses to solve a

problem. Unless there's a problem, there is no decision-making. Decision-making and problem-

solving are inter-related. It is the process through which managers identify organisational
problems and solve them.

Decisions may be major or minor, strategic or operational, long-term or short-term. They are
made for each functional area at each level. The importance of decisions, however, varies at
each level. Long-term, major and strategic decisions are taken at the top-level and relatively
short-term, minor and operational decisions are taken at lower levels. Decisionmaking precedes
every managerial function. What goals and what ways to achieve them (decisions before
planning), design of the organisation structure and span of management (decisions before
organising), best match between job description and job specification (decision before staffing),
incentive system, leadership styles and communication channel (decisions before directing) and
techniques of control (decisions before controlling) are the decisions that managers take for
smooth running and growth of business operations. Decisionmaking is managers take for
smooth running and growth of business operations. Decisionmaking is not easy. All decisions
are not based on past behaviour and practices (objective decisions making). Most of the
decisions in today's complex environment are subjective in nature. They are based on
managers' knowledge, value judgement, creativity and innovative abilities. Managers do not
make same decisions in same situations. It is situational in nature and depends upon managers'
psychology and perception of the situation. Decision-making is a modest attempt to match
environmental opportunities with organisation's strengths. It is based on forecasts and
assumptions about environmental factors.

The first step in decision making is to identify the decision. The most common way of
recognizing issues requires reconnaissance of the inward and outer climate for issues that merit
consideration (Saaty 2008). School directors filter their general surroundings to decide if the
school is advancing sufficiently toward its objectives. For instance, school executives review
understudies, instructors, guardians, and local area individuals utilizing instruments to gauge
fulfillment, hierarchical environment, and such. Other data might come from formal data
frameworks, for example, occasional bookkeeping reports, the board Data Framework (MIS)
reports, and authoritative plans intended to find issues before they become excessively intense.
On the other hand the data might be accumulated casually by talking over the circumstance
and by private perception. When one realizes that they need to make a decision. Tregoe,
(2005) states that they should always try to clearly define the nature of the decision that they
must make. This first step is very important.

Whenever one has distinguished their choice, now is the right time to accumulate the data
pertinent to that decision. Subsequent to characterizing and investigating the issue, the
following stage is to foster elective arrangements. Data assumes a critical part in the dynamic
cycle. It fills in as the establishment for informed choices. Additionally, it assists people and
associations with pursuing decisions that depend on exact and important information. It's
likewise critical to search for data outside ones group or organization. Successful direction
requires data from various sources. Finding outside assets, whether it's doing statistical
surveying, working with a specialist, or conversing with partners at an alternate organization
who have significant experience. Gathering data assists ones with joining distinguish various
answers for your concern. Verma (2014)

With relevant information now at ones fingertips, identify possible solutions to their problem.
There is usually more than one option to consider when trying meeting a goal for example, if
ones company is trying to gain more engagement on social media, their alternatives could
include paid social advertisements, a change in your organic social media strategy, or a
combination of the two. (Kepner 2005).

Subsequent to characterizing and investigating the issue, the following stage is to foster elective
arrangements. The principal point of creating elective arrangements is to have the most ideal
choice out of the accessible elective approaches. In creating elective arrangements the director
runs over imaginative or unique answers for the issues. In present day times, the strategies of
activities exploration and PC applications are monstrously useful in the advancement of elective
approaches. The elective that is picked should be adequate to the people who should live with
the outcomes of the choice. Inability to meet this condition is the absolute doubtlessly
justification for disappointment of the dynamic cycle to take care of issues (Hastie, 2010).
Whenever one has recognized various other options, they need to gauge the proof possibly in
support of said other options. Seeing what organizations have done in the past to prevail here,
and truly investigating their own association's successes and misfortunes. Recognize likely
entanglements for every one of ones options, and gauge those against the potential prizes.
Negulescu (2014).

After defining and analyzing the problem, the next step is to develop alternative solutions. The
main aim of developing alternative solutions is to have the best possible decision out of the
available alternative courses of action. In developing alternative solutions the manager comes
across creative or original solutions to the problems. In modern times, the techniques of
operations research and computer applications are immensely helpful in the development of
alternative courses of action. Once you have identified multiple alternatives, weigh the
evidence for or against said alternatives. See what companies have done in the past to succeed
in these areas, and take a good hard look at your own organization‘s wins and losses. Identify
potential pitfalls for each of your alternatives, and weigh those against the possible rewards.
Doval- (2014)

To gathered all relevant information, and developed and considered the potential paths to
take. You are perfectly prepared to choose. After you‘ve ranked your options, you must choose
the one that you think has the strongest chance of achieving your goal. In some instances, you
can combine several options, but in most cases, there will be a clear-cut direction you want to
take.
 References

Oriana-Helena Negulescu (2014) - Using a Decision-Making Process Model in Strategic Management

Thomas L. Saaty (2008) Decision making with the analytic hierarchy process Int. J. Services Sciences, Vol.
1, No. 1, 2008

Deepika Verma (2014) - Study and Analysis of Various Decision Making Models in an Organization‘- IOSR
Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM)

Kepner, C. H., & Tregoe, B. B. (2005). The new rational manager (rev. ed.). New York, NY: Kepner-Tregoe.