Decision Making Implementation

This stage is also the "gaining acceptance" of your decision stage. No matter how correct your decision is, you may meet with resistance, as change is often hard to achieve. Have the courage, however, to go forward and present, sell, or fight for your decision's implementation.

Delayed Implementation of Decision

There will be many instances in which you may have to wait for approval or even modifications of your decision by an authoritative person or body. Remember you will often actually be submitting more than one choice of a decision. Prepare an effective presentation or report. Consider following SM-14 as a model in formatting the report. Be ready with a contingency plan if approval is not received.

Recommending a Political or Foreign Policy

You may want to write a report for the public, a person, a committee, a periodical, etc. you may have to campaign, lobby, or take other action to have it reviewed or accepted.

Ready to Implement - Taking Action

It may be a personal decision or one you have authority to go ahead and implement. You may do so at once. Or you set the wheels turning to prepare a plan of implementation for more complex situations or for management decision making. In complex situations that are important enough, you may want to apply the SM-14 model in preparing a plan of action.

Obstacles to Acceptance of Decision

Many decisions may be readily accepted. However, others may meet with opposition and counteraction. Important - consult the checklist at Stage 11 to anticipate obstacles and counteractions.

Aids to Acceptance of Decision

• Consider hiring a public relations firm to help on acceptance of complex decisions.
• Throughout Stages 1 through 10, be thinking of ways you might gain acceptance of your coming decision.
• Use your communication skills.
• If you run into a roadblock, make an end run around it.
• Form a group, committee, team to help you.
• Compile a list and contact those who will benefit most.
• If it is a personal matter, consult family members.
• Review information on decision implementation
• Run tests, pilot programs, surveys, or do additional research.
• Communicate with all concerned. Use charts and graphs.
• Measure progress as you proceed.
• Include a bibliography of literature you reviewed.
• Use motivation principles to gain cooperation.

Other Decision Making Strategies & Techniques
for Taking Action on Your Decision

• State any limitations, ifs, ands, and buts.
• Be sure you allocate time, budget, and resources to implementation.
• Be ready with a contingency plan if you hit road blocks.
• Be careful to assign responsibilities and measure progress.
• Check on the accuracy of probability estimates as you progress.
• Have organized feedback and safety checks.
• Cost/benefits, effectiveness, risk versus reward should be watched.
• Plan to have a history of your decision by providing time later to look back. This aids in learning lessons from your experiences.
• Often a challenge occurs and you start on a new path, then another challenge occurs and again you start on a new path. You must investigate challenges carefully and try to overcome them to avoid this.
• Does implementation require goal revisions?
• Be careful of legal and environmental violations as you proceed.
• Seek feedback from your associates on how you are doing.
• Use humor when personal conflicts arise to overcome them.

Reminder and Warning: Lots of things can go wrong. Review the checklist of troubles at Stage 10.

Decision Sciences and Professional Societies

Many universities have courses on decision making. Numerous aspects of decision making have been made a "science." Some courses offer short formulas. I have found none that offered a decision making model as complete as SM-14. In the decision making field, there are a number of professional societies, such as the Society for Judgment and Decision Making, and the Decision Analysis Society.

Decision Making Strategy - Look Back

Keep your decision current and correct. Progress requires continual improvement.

Decision Making Strategy - Look Ahead

What comes next after implementing this decision? Does your decision cause new problems?

Next . . . The scientific method, the complete method of problem solving and decision making, is not only a method or guide but also a system of originating, refining, extending, and applying knowledge. The next three supporting ingredients contribute to understanding the system. Thus, the following pages about Ingredients 12, 13, and 14 will help guide you. Your success depends on their proper application. Ingredient 12 comes next. Remember that this is a supporting ingredient, not a stage.