Name: ID No.

Program: Major:

Management in Practice: Experiential Exercise

What’s your personal Decision Style?

Read each of the following questions and choose the answer that best describes you. Think about how you
typically act in a work or school situation and write down the answer that first comes to mind. There are no right
or wrong answers.

1. 6.

2. 7.

3. 8.

4. 9.

5. 10.

1. In performing my job or class work, I look for 6. When I don’t have much time, I
a. Practical results a. Make decisions and act quickly
b. The best solution b. Follow established plans or priorities
c. Creative approaches or ideas c. Take my time and refuse to be pressured
d. Good working conditions d. Ask others for guidance and support
2. I enjoy jobs that 7. In social situations, I generally
a. Are technical and well defined a. Talk to others
b. Have a lot of variety b. Think about what’s being discussed
c. Allow me to be independent and creative c. Observe
d. Involve working closely with others d. Listen to the conversation
3. The people I most enjoy working with are 8. Other people consider me
a. Energetic and ambitious a. Aggressive
b. Capable and organized b. Disciplined
c. Open to new ideas c. Creative
d. Agreeable and trusting d. Supportive
4. When I have a problem, I usually 9. What I dislike most is
a. Rely on what has worked in the past a. Not being in control
b. Apply careful analysis b. Doing boring work
c. Consider a variety of creative approaches c. Following rules
d. Seek consensus with others d. Being rejected by others
5. I am especially good at 10. The decisions I make are usually
a. Remembering dates and facts a. Direct and practical
b. Solving complex problems b. Systematic or abstract
c. Seeing many possible solutions c. Broad and flexible
d. d. Getting along with others d. Sensitive to others’ needs

Scoring and Interpretation

These questions rate your personal decision style.
Count the number of a answers. They provide your directive score.

Count the number of b answers for your analytical score.

The number of c answers is your conceptual score.

The number of d answers is your behavioral score.

What is your dominant decision style?

Are you surprised, or does this result reflect the style that you thought you used most often?

NOTE: Adapted from Alan J. Rowe and Richard O. Mason, Managing with Style: A guide to Understanding, Assessing, and
improving Decision Making (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1987) 40-4