Question

What are the main differences between programmed decision making and non-programmed decision making?

What is GroupThink and how does it get in the way of making good group/team decisions? Give an example.

What are the benefits of creating a learning organization? How can managers promote it?

Answer 1

Que 1.

Programmed decision making	Non-programmed decision making
Programmed decisions are routine decisions.	Non-programmed decisions are unique decisions that require a custom solution.
In most of the cases they are predefined	You to find the solution in these cases
They are mostly already documented	They are mostly new and need to be documented
These are tested and has given successful result in most of the situations	These are new and management need to check whether these decisions will be successful or not.

Que 2

According to Janis, groupthink is detrimental to effective decision-making in that “concurrence seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action”. It occurs when a group makes faulty decisions because group pressures lead to a deterioration of “mental efficiency, reality testing, and moral judgment”. Groups affected by groupthink ignore alternatives and tend to take irrational actions that dehumanize other groups. A group is especially vulnerable to groupthink when its members are similar in background, when the group is insulated from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making.

Examples of groupthink can be found in historic events such as the U.S. Invasion of Iraq, Bay of Pigs Invasion of Cuba, the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster and the Enron-Arthur Anderson scandal. In each of these examples, leadership style played a key role in enhancing groupthink conditions. Ironically, the role of leadership is also pivotal in ensuring that teams escape the potential pitfall of groupthink by adopting certain practices that mitigate groupthink. Some of these practices have been discussed below.

Que 3

Learning organization or learning culture is very important aspect or feature of the company because that way the employees will able stay with the company in a long run.

I would like to quote an example here, General Electronics is one of the big company in the industry but they are not good pay masters. In every survey its Employees complain regarding the same. In one of the interview a reporter asked the Director of the company regarding the same. And he replied:-

“Yes, we are not good salary to the employees specially in beginning stage of the employees but we can proudly say that we are creating the leaders for whole industry in the market.”

This is the biggest benefit of having learning culture in the organization. However, there are many more such as:-

• Developing morale and motivation within the employees
• To aid staff retention and lower costs
• Increase the production for the company
• Introducing new idea’s in the work place
• Making or increasing goodwill of the company
• Increasing the trust of clients in the working of the company

There are many ways a manager can promote the same:-

• By giving some monetary benefits to the innovative idea provider
• By implementing the changes that were suggested by the employee
• By conducting group thinking meeting
• By motivating the person who gives or atleast try to give new idea in front of other staffs

These all things will help the manager to make working place more innovative and organization as learning organization.