Leadership: Texas Hold 'Em Style
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Chapter Forty-Three - Decision Making Models


"Every turn of the cards changes the situation. A good player isnt waiting to see the next card. A good player is interpreting the environment and planning their next move to bet, call or fold before the next card is turned. The turn of the card and the reaction of the other players dictates which plan is implemented. The point is that change is planned. Once your followers are ready for change, you implement the plan."
Andrew J. Harvey and Raymond E. Foster (Leadership: Texas Hold 'em Style).

Articles on Leadership and Decision Making

Problem Definition
A clear problem definition is the first, and, perhaps, most important step toward rationally selecting the best alternative. Many dedicated and intelligent individuals have produced elegant solutions for problems other than those they were tasked to solve. Therefore, a good executive decision maker participates in problem definition because this step establishes the goal for everything else that follows and places a premium on professional judgment.

Consensus Team Decision Making
The Westerner and the Japanese man mean something different when they talk of "making a decision." In the West, all the emphasis is on the answer to the question. To the Japanese, however, the important element in decision making is defining the question. The crucial steps are to decide whether there is a need for a decision and what the decision is about. And it is in that step that the Japanese aim at attaining consensus. Indeed, it is this step that, to the Japanese, is the essence of decision. The answer to the question (what the West considers the decision) follows from its definition. During the process that precedes the decision, no mention is made of what the answer might be. . . . Thus the whole process is focused on finding out what the decision is really about, not what the decision should be.

Effective Decision Making
One of the critical, but often overlooked, requirements for effective leadership is sound decision making. This is especially true as we soar ever higher into the ranks of middle and upper management. Typically, as this progression occurs, leaders become more focused on strategic decisions relating to plans, policies, programs and personnel, and less consumed with day-to-day tactical concerns. Good decision making, especially in middle and upper management, will therefore likely increase overall organizational health and effectiveness. Understanding the meaning and art of deciding, therefore, is paramount.

Ethical Decision-Making: The Link Between Ambiguity and Accountability
A growing body of literature thoroughly examines the topic of ethics in public service from numerous, contrary, and complementary perspectives. What is ethics in public service? Ethics in public service is the study of the nature of morals and moral choices and the rules governing a profession that define professional conduct (Bruce, 2001, p. xiii). How do we know if it is effective? Who determines? How do we measure it? In answering these questions it becomes remarkably clear that there are no absolutes. Nor is there any single school of thought or theory to guide the inquiry. Why do we try to understand ethics in public service? The answer is clear: because we intuitively know it makes a difference.

NCOs and Values-Based Decision Making
In the Army of One, senior leaders look to the NCO Corps to embrace a value system that develops character and to lead soldiers. The Army depends on its NCOs to create the environment and set the tempo for success in full-spectrum operations. Successful NCOs anticipate change, exploit every opportunity to meet the units objectives and motivate their subordinates to higher levels of productivity to achieve the units goals. Successful sergeants promote Army Values and take care of soldiers in the process. In short, they are leaders with values-based decision-making skills.

Studies in Group Leadership How Should We Decide Elements of Sound Decision Making
Making decisions and solving problems takes much time and energy. But most groups allow little time and energy to selecting a decision-making model or to evaluating the process once the decision has been reached or a solution attempted. Ideally, decisions arise as a result of judgments and reasoning to a final conclusion, unfortunately, that is not always the case. Problem solving involves the organization and arrangement of several decisions so that they will have some usefulness solving a problem.

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Visual Summaries of Various Decision Making Models

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Ethical Decision Making Model

Effective Community Decision Making Model

Effective Decision Making Model

Consensus Making Model

