Decision making test. Psychological phenomena of decision making - tests

If you have efficient, well-trained employees, and you do not involve them in joint decision-making, you are wasting your own time.

(Management postulate)

Each person has his own goals and objectives. Their solution is sometimes no less important for him than for the head of state - foreign policy issues, and for a scientist - the fundamental problems of the universe. It would seem that the range of these problems is so wide that it is simply impossible to find anything in common between them. And yet it has been established that the nature of all problems, when viewed from the perspective of human thinking, is the same, and therefore the art of decision-making can be learned. First of all, a manager must master this art, since decision-making is the main result of his activities.

For more effective implementation of decisions, it is necessary to apply delegation of authority. This is a method of expanding the managerial capabilities of a manager by transferring part of his rights and responsibilities to subordinates. With delegation, preparation and adoption of some decisions occur at lower levels of the management hierarchy, i.e. where the overwhelming majority of the information necessary for this is concentrated, where the experience and skills of narrowly specialized professionals are concentrated, where a decision can be prepared and made in a relatively short time.

Topic 8. Decision Making

Management is associated with the development and adoption of management decisions. Making the right decision in a timely manner is the most important task of a leader.

Decisions are made in each management cycle, at all stages of performing certain functions. The decision-making task comes down to coordinating the goals of individual performers and coordinating their interactions. The solution should be considered the result of analysis, forecasting, optimization, economic justification and selection of the best from a variety of options.

8.1. Test “Is it easy to convince you?”

The management process is concerned with continuous development and decision making. Decisions are made in each management cycle, at all its stages and during the performance of each function. The proposed test will help determine whether you are suitable for work in management, how ready you are to make decisions and be responsible for their results.

Answer “yes” or “no” to the following questions:

1. Will you be able to easily adapt at your old place of work to new rules, a new style that is significantly different from what you are used to?

2. Do you quickly adapt to a new team?

3. Are you able to express your opinion publicly, even if you know that it contradicts the point of view of senior management?

4. If you are offered a position with a higher salary in another institution, would you agree to move to a new job without hesitation?

5. Are you inclined to deny your guilt in a mistake and look for a suitable excuse for the given case?

6. Do you usually explain the reason for your refusal to do something with true motives, without covering them up with various “mitigating” and camouflaging reasons and circumstances?

7. Will you be able to change your previous views on a particular issue as a result of a serious discussion?

8. You you read someone’s work (out of duty or at request), its idea is correct, but you don’t like the style of presentation - you would write differently. Will you edit the text and persistently suggest changing it in accordance with your opinion?

9. If you see something in a store that you really like, will you buy it, even if this thing is not so necessary?

10. Can you change your decision under the influence of the persuasion of a charming person?

11. Do you plan your vacation in advance?

12. Do you always keep your promises?

Use the table to determine the number of points you have scored.


Table 27

Key to the test task “Is it easy to convince you?”


If the amount is:

9 points You are very indecisive. Constantly and for any reason, you weigh the pros and cons for a long time and painfully. If you manage to shift the decision-making onto the shoulders of someone else, you feel a huge relief. Before deciding to take any step, you consult for a long time and often make a half-hearted decision. At meetings and conferences you prefer to remain silent, although on the sidelines you gain courage and eloquence. It's difficult to work with you. And even if you have knowledge, erudition, and experience, such a character trait as indecisiveness greatly reduces your “utility coefficient.” It is difficult to rely on you, since you can let us down. Of course, changing character is not easy, but it is possible;

from 10 to 18 points You make decisions carefully, but do not give in to serious problems that need to be solved right now. You usually hesitate when you have enough time to make a decision. That’s when you begin to be overcome by various doubts, and the temptation appears to “settle everything”, “coordinate” it with your superiors, although this question is at your level. Rely more on your experience, it will tell you how to solve the case correctly. In the end, consult with one of your colleagues, your subordinates;

from 19 to 28 points You are quite determined. Your logic, the consistency with which you approach the study of a problem, and most importantly, experience, help you solve problems quickly and, for the most part, correctly. Relying on yourself, you do not ignore the advice of others, although you do not resort to them very often. You defend the decisions you make to the end, but if they are revealed to be wrong, do not stubbornly continue to defend the “honor of the uniform.” All this is good. But try to always remain objective. Do not consider it shameful to consult on issues in which you are not competent enough;

29 points and above The concept of “indecision” is unknown to you. You consider yourself competent in all aspects of your activity and do not consider it necessary to find out someone else's opinion. You understand unity of command as the right to make individual decisions; critical remarks about them cause you irritation, which you sometimes do not even try to hide. You are impressed when you are called a decisive and strong-willed person, although will is not at all what was said about you above. In order to establish this opinion among others, it happens that you reject the reasonable proposals of others. You experience mistakes painfully, deeply believing that someone else is to blame for them, but not you. Believing in the infallibility of one's opinions is a serious flaw. This character trait, this method of work suppresses the initiative of subordinates, their desire for independent action, and fosters indecision in them. All this causes serious damage to the psychological climate of the team and interferes with work. You urgently need to change your work style.

8.2. Test "Decision Making"

The assessment of the correctness of the decision made by the manager is not only economic indicators, but also the behavior of employees when they achieve production goals, the measure of their activity, initiative, and collectivism.

This test will help you assess how determined you are and what type of people you should have on your team.

From the proposed answer options (A, B, C, D, E, F), choose one.

1. What, in your opinion, motivates a person in life above all?

A – curiosity;

B – desires;

B – necessity.

2. Why do you think people move from one job to another?

D – they are fired;

D – they leave because of a higher salary;

E – they prefer another job.

3. When you have troubles:

A – Do you put off their decision until the last minute?

B – do you need to analyze how guilty you are?

Q – You don’t even want to think about what happened?

4. You did not have time to do some work on time and:

E - declare your failure even before it becomes known;

D – you wait with fear when you are asked about the results;

D – thoroughly prepare for the explanation.

5. When you achieve a goal, you receive news about it:

B – with a feeling of relief?

B – with strong positive emotions?

A - in different ways depending on the goal, but not so violently?

D – avoid situations that require risk?

E – get rid of this by turning to the help of a psychologist?

D - meet people of a different type who do not suffer from shyness?

7. What will you do in a conflict situation:

B – will I talk to the person with whom I came into conflict?

Shall I write him a letter?

Q – will I try to resolve the conflict through a mediator?

8. What kind of fear arises in you when you make a mistake:

D – fear that a mistake might change the order to which you are accustomed?

D – fear of punishment?

E – fear of losing prestige?

9. When you are talking to someone, then:

Do you look away from time to time?

B – look directly into the eyes of your interlocutor?

D – do you look away even when people speak to you?

10. When you are having an important conversation, then:

E – the tone of the conversation usually remains calm?

D – Do you keep inserting words that don’t mean anything?

Key to the test task “Decision Making”

If almost all of your answers consist of options A and D, then you are not a particularly decisive (in decision-making) person. But you cannot be called indecisive. You don’t always act actively and quickly enough, but only because you think it’s not worth it. You like brave people. But often you justify those who are indecisive, believing that their actions are the result not of fear, but of prudence and caution.

If you chose mainly options B, E, then you are certainly a decisive (in decision-making) person. You too often neglect things that you consider small and insignificant. But, despite this, you are valued as an independent and interesting person. If you also have a sense of responsibility, then you are often assigned difficult tasks, but in this case there should be other types of people in your group who would balance your too much activity. Don't you still need to think better about the decisions you make?

If your answers relate to options C, D, then you are afraid not only to make decisions, but even to think about them, fearing the approaching events. Your psychological state cannot be called stable or prosperous. Often you are more likely to expect criticism of your actions than praise.

8.3. Test “Ability to make decisions taking into account previous mistakes”

It is often said that people learn from their mistakes. But no less often they say the expression “I stepped on the same rake...”. This test will show how much you can take into account previous mistakes and make the right decisions.

The questions in this test should be answered “yes”, “no”, “I don’t know”.

1. Have you ever made a mistake in life, the results of which you felt for months or years?

2. Could this mistake have been avoided?

3. Do you sometimes insist on your own opinion if you are not 100% sure of its correctness?

4. Have you told anyone closest to you about your biggest life mistake?

5. Do you think that at a certain age a person’s character cannot change?

6. If someone gives you a little grief, can you quickly forget about it?

7. Do you sometimes consider yourself a failure?

8. Do you consider yourself a person with a great sense of humor?

9. If you could change the most important events that took place in the past, would you build your life differently?

10. When making daily personal decisions, are you guided more by reason than by emotions?

11. Do you find it difficult to make small decisions on issues that life poses every day?

12. Have you used advice or help from people outside your immediate family when making vital decisions?

13. Do you often return in your memories to moments that were unpleasant for you?

14. Do you like your character?

15. Have you ever asked someone for forgiveness, although you did not consider yourself guilty?

Key to the test task “Ability to make decisions taking into account previous mistakes”

For each answer “yes” to questions: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and “no” to questions: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, you receive 10 points. For each “I don’t know” answer – 5 points.

From 100 to 150 points You have an exceptional ability to make life difficult for yourself. Perhaps you are already at the stage when you evaluate your own mistakes as successes. You are on your way to making another life mistake! Immediately find yourself an adviser before you make another wrong decision, with which neither you nor those around you will again be happy.

From 50 to 99 points Perhaps what you call a great mistake that you once made in life is today connected with a different view of yourself and your past. Your caution is not always a guarantee of complete luck in life.

From 0 to 49 points In the near future you are not in danger of making a life mistake. Naturally, the guarantee of this is you yourself. You have many of the traits that people with great abilities for good planning and foreseeing their own future possess. It seems that you completely feel like the creator of your life.

Practical task

1. Based on the test results, develop an individual decision-making model.

2. Carry out a self-test using the following questions:

What is meant by “management decision”?

What is the importance of making management decisions?

What are the key points in decision making?

How is the decision-making algorithm modeled?

8.4. Situations

Situation 1

The sales and advertising departments cannot reach a consensus on an issue that requires joint efforts. They come to the manager and describe the current situation to him. A long discussion begins with convincing arguments on both sides. Soon all participants in the conversation understand that the ultimate goal is not to develop an optimal solution, but to defend their own point of view. What should a manager do in this situation to make the right decision?

Situation 2

You, being the head of the sales department, independently, without the knowledge of your manager and without consulting with your colleagues, gave an order to ship your products to a completely new consumer, since you were offered a favorable price for the products. But your new partner turned out to be an “invisible company”, and you did not receive payment for the products. Your manager is angry because the company has suffered huge losses. What is your mistake and how will you structure your explanation with your manager?

Situation 3

You, as a manager, are offered a solution to an important problem in a shorter period of time, and even as a result, making a profit, but the implementation of this solution itself is very risky. What will you do?

Situation 4

You are the head of a company. You need to go on a long business trip. Two deputies remain in your place. The first one works well in a team, but avoids achieving the goal, the other always achieves the set goal, but has difficulty delegating authority. There is a conflict between them. Which of them should be appointed senior?

Situation 5

You entrust an important task to what you consider to be a competent employee. But suddenly you learn about a person who is more competent in this matter and can perform this task much better. What will you do in this situation?

Situation 6

You suddenly find out that the employee to whom you entrusted the development of an important project is simultaneously working on the same issue in another company. What decision will you make in this situation?

Topic 9. Delegation of authority

Delegation should be considered one of the most important problems in management and, at the same time, one of the most difficult and relevant. In a general sense, delegation can be understood as transferring a task from the manager’s sphere of action to a subordinate.

Delegation of authority is a method of expanding the managerial capabilities of a manager by transferring part of his rights and responsibilities to subordinates.

One of the most important advantages of delegation is that, by providing subordinates with a certain independence in their work, it makes it possible to find out whether they have the inclinations necessary for management activities, and if they do, then delegation will allow them to be developed.

9.1. Test “How do you cope with delegation?”

If you don’t have time to do your work, if you constantly don’t have enough time, it means that you need to transfer part of your current work to your subordinates. The test below will help you find out the answers to these questions.

Answer the questions “yes” or “no”.

1. Do you continue to work after the end of the working day?

2. Do you work longer than your employees?

3. Do you often do work for others that you could easily do without your participation?

4. Are you able to find, if necessary, a subordinate or colleague who would help you?

5. Does your subordinate know your tasks and scope of activity well enough to replace you if you go on a long business trip?

6. Do you have enough time to plan?

7. Is your desk cluttered when you return from a business trip?

8. Are you still dealing with matters or problems from the area of ​​responsibility that was assigned to you before your promotion?

9. Are you often forced to put off an important task in order to complete others?

10. Do you often have to strain to meet deadlines?

11. Do you often dictate most of your memos, correspondence and reports to your secretary?

12. Do you waste time on routine work that others can do?

13. Do you often get contacted about tasks not completed by your subordinates?

14. Do you have enough time for public and representative work?

15. Do you strive to be aware of everything and have information about everything?

16. Is it worth a lot of effort for you to stick to the list of sequence of priority tasks?

Key to the test task “How do you deal with delegation?”

Count the number of “yes” and “no” answers. If:

0 – 3 “yes” answers You delegate well;

4 – 7 “yes” answers Do you have reserves for delegation;

8 And more “yes” answers – It sounds like delegation is a serious problem for you. You should give priority to solving this problem.

9.2. Test “Can you make rational decisions?”

For work to be productive and effective, every manager must take into account the opinions of his colleagues. A good specialist can come to the rescue in a timely manner and not interfere in extraneous matters unless the situation requires it.

1. You go abroad on vacation, but do not speak any foreign language. Your actions:

a) hire a translator;

b) don’t let go of the dictionary and try to explain yourself;

c) do not leave the hotel.

2. The boss went on a business trip, leaving the phone number of the hotel where he was staying. Your actions:

a) constantly call him to coordinate various issues;

b) call to find out how you got there;

c) ask him when he will return.

3. Your flight is delayed and passengers are forced to sit on the plane. Your actions:

a) get to know the surrounding passengers and tell jokes;

b) resign yourself to the situation, but ask for an additional lunch as compensation for moral damage;

c) take a flight attendant hostage.

4. While hiking with a friend, you fall behind the main group. Your actions:

a) take command, if not you, then who will find the way;

b) you give one to study the map, send the other to study the area: one head is good, but two are better;

c) don’t worry, you won’t get lost.

5. First of all, ask your neighbor in the dorm:

a) name only;

b) do you have mutual friends?

c) don’t ask anything: if you need anything, he’ll do it himself.

6. You were sick for a couple of days and things got a bit sluggish. When you return to work, you:

a) without raising your head, you sort things out;

b) ask colleagues to help;

c) don’t panic: everyone knows that you were sick.

7. You have decided to buy an apartment. Your actions:

a) call the real estate agency;

b) buy a newspaper ad;

c) decide how the housewarming party will go.

8. A friend is having a party, he invited you. Your actions:

a) are interested in how you can help;

b) simply welcome this idea;

c) buy everything you need, it won’t be superfluous.

Key to the test task “Can you make rational decisions?”


Table 28



From 8 to 14 points You really are taking on too much. Be careful, this may have a bad effect on your health. Learn to make decisions correctly and distribute authority.

From 15 to 17 points Your ability to use your strengths and weaknesses is worthy of emulation! You are a great team player and understand that common work brings greater results than personal victory. You are attentive to others and are not afraid of being let down; you choose those you can rely on. When necessary, you step forward; when necessary, you give way. Don't overpromise, balanced. All this only strengthens your position as a leader.

From 18 to 24 points Don't be too passive in making decisions. This certainly will not have a beneficial effect on the results of your activities!

9.3. Test “Do you need to use delegation methods?”

To determine your suitability for independent work, we suggest answering questions. Answers are scored as follows: “yes” – 1; “I find it difficult to answer” – 2; “no” – 3.

1. Do you have enough professional knowledge in your chosen field of activity?

2. Are you able to distribute work among subordinates, leaving the most important for yourself?

3. Will you be able to solve a variety of management problems (forming a portfolio of orders, forecasting the financial condition and profitability of individual products, applying a rational wage system, etc.)?

4. Do you trust yourself completely or will you resort to the help of specialists on certain issues?

5. Will you control the execution of orders?

6. Will you trust your subordinates to choose the method of doing the work?

7. Do you consider spending money on advanced training to be a profitable investment?

8. Do you have a fairly clear idea of ​​your activities for the next year or two?

9. If you have to share income with your friend and partner, are you sure that you will maintain friendly relations with him?

10. Will you make a firm promise if you are not confident that you will be able to fulfill it?

11. Do your relatives and friends agree with your intentions to engage in entrepreneurial or managerial activities?

12. Are you able to allocate time during a heavy workload to think about long-term issues?

13. Do you have the necessary funds to open a new business or start a new type of activity?

14. Do you take notes on what you are planning to do?

15. Do you plan your working day?

16. Will you celebrate the achievements of your subordinates or will you try not to notice them?

17. Are you able to hide your irritation?

18. Have you made inquiries about cases of similar proceedings?

19. Can you make a profit that is greater than that of your competitors?

20. When choosing the legal form of your company, did you study the tax system?

21. Do you take into account that business partners may not always be sincere?

Key to the test task “Do you need to use delegation methods?”


Table 29



From 80 to 124 points feel free to get down to business on your own;

From 40 to 80 points Think again about whether your delegation skills are sufficiently developed.

From 40 points or less It is better to get down to business with the appropriate assistants.

9.4. Test “Your style of delegation when working with documents”

Delegation is a very important part of a leader's job. But authority must be delegated correctly. This test task will help you determine how correctly you can delegate authority using the example of working with documents.

The test consists of 4 groups, each of which includes 3 questions. The answer “completely fair” is worth 3 points; for the answer “perhaps fair” - 2; for the answer “not really” – 1; for the answer “not at all” – 0 points. Calculate your points.

Group 1

1. When I have a lot of urgent work to do, I often put new papers aside.

2. When I’m not too busy with other things, I process most of the paperwork myself.

3. I personally sort through correspondence because no one else can handle it, and the sight of unread papers irritates me.

Group 2

1. I have to overcome internal resistance when I instruct a subordinate to prepare an important document.

2. Most of the documentation on less important issues is prepared by my subordinates.

3. I turn to others for help only when the possibility of work troubles becomes very real.

Group 3

1. It irritates me that I have to waste time on paperwork, and when I’m busy, the papers get pushed aside.

2. I do not consider myself obligated to respond to every piece of paper addressed to me.

3. I do not believe that the volume and nature of official correspondence reflects the success of my work and my position in the organization.

Group 4

1. When I'm faced with a crisis situation, I don't have enough time to read all the documents.

2. Only the thought of being fired can force me to finish writing my official report.

3. I always have more important things to do, so I put routine documentation aside.

Key to the test task “Your style of delegation when working with documents”

If you scored 7 or more points in group 1, then you are most likely a “super performer”, and therefore tend to do more paperwork yourself than necessary, underloading your subordinates. True, some of the top management like your constant employment, but the label of a “true servant” does not at all guarantee promotion and respect from colleagues and subordinates.

If you scored 7 or more points in group 2, then you are most likely a “decipherer”. Of course, delegation of responsibilities is one of the most important rules of modern management science, and it can make your work much easier (of course, if you delegate correctly). Of course, over time you will master the art of delegation, but it is better to shorten this process by studying literature on management issues.

If you scored 7 or more points in the 3rd group, This means that you have the characteristics of an “anti-bureaucrat” and you tend to ignore the importance of paperwork. These habits can be costly if your organization has a high volume of paperwork and places a high value on it. Therefore, you should reconsider your attitude towards “paperwork” or look for a place in an organization where there is less paperwork.

If you scored 7 or more points in the 4th group, This means that there is too much of a “red tape” in you and you are doomed to constantly listen to reproaches from your superiors for the delay of various documents. Only a more differentiated approach to incoming documentation and a wider use of delegation can help you out.

Finally, if you scored 3 points or less in group 4, then you treat paperwork too zealously, forgetting that there are more important matters that require your personal presence.

Practical task

1. In order to develop skills in delegating authority, fill out the so-called register of instructions according to the given sample, in which it is necessary to enter specific tasks (in accordance with the ABC priority), deadlines and control results.




2. Based on the studied material “Delegation of Authority” and the material “Secretary of the Manager,” draw up a job description for the secretary of the head of a commercial organization in accordance with the following sections:

Department name;

Job title;

Educational requirements;

Work experience requirement;

List of functions performed;

Requirements for professional qualities;

Rights and obligations.

9.5. Situations

Situation 1

A subordinate came to you for a conversation, whom you instructed to monitor the implementation of an important decision. He claims that he does not have time to monitor the activities of other people at the same time as his current job, and demands that he be paid a bonus for this additional work. You know for sure that the main activity of this employee takes up less than half of his total working time. You:

a) agree with his arguments and pay the bonus;

b) give him several more people to help him and divide the bonus between them;

c) refuse him his request, citing as an argument that he did not deserve the bonus;

d) entrust his work to another employee.

Choose the most suitable solution from the above or suggest your own.

Situation 2

You have entrusted your subordinate, the foreman of a repair organization, with the responsibility for training young workers. To do this, you have granted him certain rights. Some time later, while passing by, you unwittingly become a witness to how he is working with a newcomer, and you discover that he is doing it completely wrong. What will you do?

Situation 3

There is an important matter that requires immediate attention. What would you do in this situation:

a) find the employee for whom this matter is of greatest importance and appoint him responsible for execution;

b) assign the task to a less busy employee?

Situation 4

You entrust a task to your subordinate, knowing that only he is able to complete it well. But suddenly you find out that he delegated the task to another person, and as a result, the task was not completed on time.

You call both of them into your office and say: ...

Situation 5

You have given an order to resolve the problem. Your subordinate did not comply with this order, but solved the problem using other means. You understand that his solution is better than yours.

What should you do in this situation?

Situation 6

Your immediate superior, bypassing you, gives an urgent task to your subordinate, who is already busy completing your important task. You and your boss consider your tasks urgent.

Choose the solution that suits you best:

a) without challenging the boss’s assignment, I will strictly adhere to the official chain of command and invite the subordinate to postpone the current work;

b) it all depends on how authoritative the boss is for me;

c) I will express to the subordinate my disagreement with the boss’s assignment, I will warn him that in future in such situations I will cancel tasks assigned to him without my consent;

d) in the interests of the business, I will offer the subordinate to complete the work begun.

Situation 7

The director of one large company delegated his functions to a subordinate, which were as follows: the subordinate had to go to an important meeting with the customer and conclude a very important contract. The director was confident in the competence of this employee and his abilities, but suddenly the director finds out that the subordinate was overzealous and ruined everything.

The director calls him and says: ...

Situation 8

You are a leader who uses delegation techniques quite successfully. One of your subordinates does everything himself, doesn’t trust anyone with anything, and therefore often stays late at work and gets very tired.

You invite him to a conversation, where you tell him in detail and convincingly about delegation and ask him to try this method, citing your high performance and excellent quality.

A month later, a production meeting is held where the results of the work are discussed, and it turns out that this subordinate’s site has the lowest results, although before it was the other way around. The director expresses dissatisfaction with this matter, to which the subordinate replies: “You yourself advised me so.”

If the amount is:

9 points – You are very indecisive. Constantly and for any reason, you weigh the pros and cons for a long time and painfully. If you manage to shift the decision-making onto the shoulders of someone else, you feel a huge relief. Before deciding to take any step, you consult for a long time and often make a half-hearted decision. At meetings and conferences you prefer to remain silent, although on the sidelines you gain courage and eloquence. It's difficult to work with you. And even if you have knowledge, erudition, and experience, such a character trait as indecisiveness greatly reduces your “utility coefficient.” It is difficult to rely on you, since you can let us down. Of course, changing character is not easy, but it is possible;

from 10 to 18 points - You make decisions carefully, but do not give in to serious problems that need to be solved right now. You usually hesitate when you have enough time to make a decision. That’s when you begin to be overcome by various doubts, and the temptation appears to “settle everything”, “coordinate” it with your superiors, although this question is at your level. Rely more on your experience, it will tell you how to solve the case correctly. In the end, consult with one of your colleagues, your subordinates;

from 19 to 28 points - You are quite decisive. Your logic, the consistency with which you approach the study of a problem, and most importantly, experience, help you solve problems quickly and, for the most part, correctly. Relying on yourself, you do not ignore the advice of others, although you do not resort to them very often. You defend the decisions you make to the end, but if they are revealed to be wrong, do not stubbornly continue to defend the “honor of the uniform.” All this is good. But try to always remain objective. Do not consider it shameful to consult on issues in which you are not competent enough;

29 points and above – the concept of “indecisiveness” is unknown to you. You consider yourself competent in all aspects of your activity and do not consider it necessary to find out anyone’s opinion. You understand unity of command as the right to make individual decisions; critical remarks about them cause you irritation, which you sometimes do not even try to hide. You are impressed when you are called a decisive and strong-willed person, although the will

– this is not at all what was said to you above. In order to establish this opinion among others, it happens that you reject the reasonable proposals of others. You experience mistakes painfully, deeply believing that someone else is to blame for them, but not you. Believing in the infallibility of one's opinions is a serious flaw. This character trait, this method of work suppresses the initiative of subordinates, their desire for independent action, and fosters indecision in them. All this causes serious damage to the psychological climate of the team and interferes with work. You urgently need to change your work style.

8.2. Test "Decision Making"

The assessment of the correctness of the decision made by the manager is not only economic indicators, but also the behavior of employees when they achieve production goals, the measure of their activity, initiative, and collectivism.

V. V. Bondarenko, S. D. Reznik, S. N. Sokolov. “Personal management. Tests and specific situations: workshop"

This test will help you assess how determined you are and what type of people you should have on your team.

From the proposed answer options (A, B, C, D, E, F), choose one.

1. What, in your opinion, motivates a person in life above all? A – curiosity; B – desires; B – necessity.

2. Why do you think people move from one job to another? D – they are fired; D - leaving due to higher salaries;

E – they prefer another job.

3. When you are in trouble:

A – Do you put off their decision until the last minute?

B – Do you need to analyze how guilty you yourself are? Q – You don’t even want to think about what happened?

4. You did not have time to do some work on time and:

E - declare your failure even before it becomes known; D – you wait with fear when you are asked about the results; D – thoroughly prepare for the explanation.

5. When you achieve a goal, do you greet the news: B – with a feeling of relief?

B – with strong positive emotions?

A - in different ways depending on the goal, but not so violently?

E – get rid of this by turning to the help of a psychologist?

D - meet people of a different type who do not suffer from shyness?

7. What will you do in a conflict situation:

B – will I talk to the one with whom I came into conflict? Shall I write him a letter?

Q – will I try to resolve the conflict through a mediator?

8. What kind of fear arises in you when you make a mistake:

D – fear that a mistake might change the order to which you are accustomed? D – fear of punishment?

E – fear of losing prestige?

9. When you talk to someone, do you: A – look away from time to time?

B – look directly into the eyes of your interlocutor?

G – do you look away even when people speak to you? 10. When you are having an important conversation, then:

E – the tone of the conversation usually remains calm?

D – Do you keep inserting words that don’t mean anything?

G – Are you repeating yourself, worrying, is your voice starting to fail you?

Key to the test task “Decision Making”

If almost all of your answers consist of options A and D, then you are not a particularly decisive (in decision-making) person. But you cannot be called indecisive. You don’t always act actively and quickly enough, but only because you think it’s not worth it.

Scales: management decision-making styles: permissive, marginal, implementer, authoritarian, situational

Purpose of the test

As you know, management activities are complex and diverse. Each leader has his own techniques and methods of effective work. There is no single recipe. There are as many approaches to solving problems as there are leaders. In order to learn more about the specifics of management activities, about the ways in which managers achieve their goals, we ask you to take part in our study.

It is very important for us to know your opinion on a number of issues. Please read each of the statements below and decide whether you agree with it or not, whether it agrees or disagrees with your position. When answering, use a scale from -3 to +3 points.

You assign 3 points to those judgments with which you completely agree;
. 2 points - agree;
. 1 point - if you think that you can probably agree with this judgment;
. 0 - you can’t say definitely yes or no, neither yes nor no;
. -1 point - one can hardly agree with this;
. -2 points - disagree;
. -3 points - completely disagree.

In order for the results of the study to be as complete as possible, it is very important to find out what you think and how you act; what is interesting is not the generally accepted point of view, but your point of view. Therefore, when answering, rely on your work experience, your practice and try to answer quickly.

Thank you in advance for your participation. If everything is clear, then you can start working on the questionnaire.

Test

1. Managers are more tired and more likely than their subordinates to feel exhausted.
2. Over time, any problem resolves itself.
3. Business will only benefit if subordinates are praised more often and punished less often.
4. It is difficult for a humanist to become a good leader.
5. The manager must be responsible for the team’s mistakes.
6. The end truly justifies the means.
7. Everyday routine is a heavy burden that a leader cannot get rid of no matter how hard he tries.
8. If a manager often involves his subordinates in discussing problems, then he is not coping well with his responsibilities.
9. The fact that everything around is changing quickly makes the work of a leader even more interesting.
10. A leader has no right to weakness.
11. In management activities, the best method of defense is an offensive.
12. “The slower you go, the further you will go” is a rule that a leader must strictly follow.
13. When the leader is absent, subordinates begin to perform worse.
14. A leader remains a leader always and everywhere.
15. All that is required from subordinates is diligence.
16. For a successful career, a young manager must develop a commanding voice.
17. You can close your eyes to the lack of professionalism of a subordinate if he is a very good person.
18. For the benefit of the business, strict subordination between the manager and subordinates is necessary.
19. Ideally, a leader who suits all members of the group can be considered successful.
20. Solving strategic, long-term problems is much more important than solving current, everyday issues.
21. Almost every problem should be brought up for discussion by the team.
22. If subordinates are in awe of the leader, it means they respect him.
23. You can learn to swim without knowing how to float on the water yourself.
24. Risk in management is unacceptable.
25. Punishment is a very effective way of education.
26. Taxes in our country are such that there is nothing wrong with partial non-payment.
27. Most people are lazy, so they have to be forced to work.
28. In most cases, a leader should remain above criticism.
29. It is important for a leader to make his subordinates his friends.
30. For a business to succeed, a leader must constantly generate new ideas.
31. We need to trust the ordinary members of the team more; they themselves know what and how to do.
32. Success comes to those who are able to take risks.
33. Performers must participate in the decision-making process.
34. It is not at all necessary for a leader to be an example for his subordinates in everything.
35. It is better to praise a person once again, even for no reason, than to punish him, even for an offense.
36. The more freedom given to subordinates, the better.
37. The key to the success of any business is control over those to whom this business is entrusted.
38. In such difficult times as ours, almost nothing depends on what decision the leader makes.
39. By waiting for orders from above, middle managers miss their chance to move up the career ladder.
40. If there is a desire, then mountains can be moved.
41. A fundamentally new, unusual solution to a problem is most often preferable to an old, conservative one.
42. Tough measures in management are unacceptable.
43. Unemployment is the greatest evil.
44. Circumstances are stronger than us.
45. If a manager needs advice when he makes a decision, then this is, first of all, the advice of an expert, the advice of an independent specialist.
46. ​​In management activities, initiative is indeed punishable.
47. For a business to develop well, you need army discipline.
48. A leader can only work well in a stable society with a stable economy, when everything is predictable.
49. A mandatory characteristic of a good leader is demandingness towards his subordinates.
50. His Majesty the case is what determines the outcome of the case.
51. It is normal when subordinates consider their leader to be tough and even cruel.

Processing and interpretation of test results

Scale " Authority»:

Direct points: 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 45, 47, 51.
. Return points: Z, 29, 31, 33, 35, 36

Scale " Behavior in a problem situation»:

Direct points: 5, 9, 30, 32, 37, 39, 40, 41, 49.
. Return points: 2, 7, 12, 17, 19, 21, 24, 28, 38, 42, 43, 44, 46, 48, 50.

A total score is calculated for each scale. The procedure for calculating the total score is as follows. Subjects' responses to direct questionnaire items are assigned a score based on the following ratio:

answer -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3
point 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Subjects' responses to the reverse items of the questionnaire are assigned points based on the ratio:

answer -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3
point 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To assess the style of a particular leader, it is necessary to calculate the average values ​​of characteristics and standard deviations.

For the “Power” scale: M = 95.5, σ = 15.5.
. For the scale “Behavior in a problem situation”: M = 117.5, σ = 13.4.

Further clarification of the strategic features of managers is carried out using indicators in the table.

Numerical criteria for classifying managers based on the “Management Decision Making Style” methodology

Style Authority Behavior in PR situations
Conniving< 88 баллов (М-0,5σ) < 111 баллов (М-0,5σ)
Marginal > 103 points (M+0.5σ)< 111 баллов (М-0,5σ)
Implementationist< 88 баллов (М-0,5σ) >124 points (M+0.5σ)
Authoritarian > 103 points (M+0.5σ) > 124 points (M+0.5σ)
Situational From 88 to 103 points From 111 to 124 points

Sources

Assessing the styles of making management decisions / Fetiskin N.P., Kozlov V.V., Manuylov G.M. Socio-psychological diagnostics of personality development and small groups. – M., 2002. P.278-281.

The assessment of the correctness of the decision made by the manager is not only economic indicators, but also the behavior of employees when they achieve production goals, the measure of their activity, initiative, and collectivism.

This test will help you assess how determined you are and what type of people you should have on your team.

From the proposed answer options (A, B, C, D, E, F), choose one.

1. What, in your opinion, motivates a person in life above all?

A – curiosity;

B – desires;

B – necessity.

2. Why do you think people move from one job to another?

D – they are fired;

D – they leave because of a higher salary;

E – they prefer another job.

3. When you have troubles:

A – You put off their decision until the last minute;

B – you have a need to analyze how guilty you yourself are;

Q – You don’t even want to think about what happened.

4. You did not have time to do some work on time and:

E - declare your failure even before it becomes known;

D – you wait with fear when you are asked about the results;

D – thoroughly prepare for the explanation.

5. When you achieve a goal, you receive news about it:

B – with a feeling of relief;

B – with strong positive emotions;

A - in different ways depending on the goal, but not so violently.

D – avoid situations requiring risk;

E – get rid of this by turning to the help of a psychologist;

D - meet people of a different type who do not suffer from shyness.

7. What will you do in a conflict situation:

B – I’ll talk to the person with whom I came into conflict;

A – I’ll write him a letter;

B – I will try to resolve the conflict through a mediator.

8. What kind of fear arises in you when you make a mistake:

D - fear that a mistake may change the order to which you are accustomed;

G – fear of punishment;

E – fear of losing prestige.

9. When you are talking to someone, then:

A – look away from time to time;

B – look directly into the eyes of your interlocutor;

D – look away, even when people speak to you.

10. When you are having an important conversation, then:

E – the tone of the conversation usually remains calm?

D – Do you keep inserting words that don’t mean anything?

Interpretation

If almost all your answers consist of options A And D , then you are not a particularly decisive (in decision-making) person. But you cannot be called indecisive. You don’t always act actively and quickly enough, but only because you think it’s not worth it. You like brave people. But often you justify those who are indecisive, believing that their actions are the result not of fear, but of prudence and caution.

If you have selected mainly options B , E , then you are certainly a decisive (in decision-making) person. You too often neglect things that you consider small and insignificant. But, despite this, you are valued as an independent and interesting person. If you also have a sense of responsibility, then you are often assigned difficult tasks, but in this case there should be other types of people in your group who would balance your too much activity. Don't you still need to think better about the decisions you make?

If your answers relate to the options IN , G , then you are afraid not only to make decisions, but even to think about them, fearing approaching events. Your psychological state cannot be called stable or prosperous. Often you are more likely to expect criticism of your actions than praise.

Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation

State educational institution

higher professional education-

All-Russian Correspondence Institute of Finance and Economics

Test

Discipline: “Management Decisions”

on the topic “Psychological phenomena of decision making”

Completed: 4th year student

Faculty of MiM

specialties MO

daytime groups

Nikolaeva Kristina Andreevna

L.D. No. 07mmd14157

Checked: Romanovskaya N. N.

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………..….3

1. Individual qualities necessary for a manager to make successful decisions……………………………………………………………...4

2. Vroom-Yetton decision-making model. How can it help a manager when developing and making decisions?.................................................... .......7

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….10

Tests………………………………………………………………………………………...11

List of references………………………………………………………...12

Introduction.

A characteristic psychological feature of a person is his unique ability to make decisions in very difficult conditions, which are characterized by high uncertainty, the presence of many difficult to compare criteria and implicit alternatives, lack of time and high responsibility. In decision-making processes, the inherent limited rationality of choice also manifests itself due to the limited ability to quickly process information, the impracticability of strictly rational procedures for developing decision alternatives, and the influence of social and emotional-personal factors. In addition, as already noted, decision-making processes in an organization actually combine the main features of both individual and group choice. In this regard, it is necessary to consider the main psychological factors in the development and adoption of management decisions.

By studying the processes of managerial decision-making, psychologists have identified many interesting, specific features of human behavior associated with the mutual overlap of individual and group choice processes - psychological phenomena observed in decision-making processes.

    Individual qualities necessary for a manager to make successful decisions.

Since decisions are made by people, their character largely bears the imprint of the personality of the manager who participated in their development and adoption. In this regard, when studying management decisions, a very important general problem arises: how are the process of developing solutions and the individual qualities of its (decision) subject related? Is there some specific ability to make management decisions? How do individual qualities that are important for management activities as a whole relate to the qualities that provide effective decisions? Are individual qualities specific to decision-making related to the traditional general managerial qualities referred to as “organizational” or “managerial” abilities?

In connection with these issues, it should be noted that the problem of the individual qualities of a manager is widely represented in studies of management activities, has many aspects and is one of the traditional areas of management. At the same time, this area is very little connected with the problem of making management decisions itself and is practically not highlighted as an independent subject of study. More general issues have been studied to a much greater extent, such as the dependence of the effectiveness of management activities on the individual qualities of the subject; the problem of managerial and organizational abilities; dependence of leadership style on the individual qualities of the leader; research into the personality structure of a leader; problems associated with the selection, assessment and certification of management personnel. Of course, there are all sorts of arguments in favor of suggesting the possibility of using the results of all these studies in the study of management decision-making processes. The main one is that selection processes play a leading role in the structure of management activities; It is the decision-making process, as noted above, that determines both its procedure and result. With this approach, we can assume that the qualities that determine the overall effectiveness of management activities are the most significant for the success of decision-making processes, and the question of specific personality qualities necessary for making effective decisions does not arise at all. The set of individual qualities that ensure the effectiveness of a manager’s work is defined differently by different authors. Most often these qualities include:

    practical mind;

    psychological tact;

    energy;

    demandingness;

    criticality;

    initiative;

    independence;

    sociability;

    persistence;

    performance;

    ability to understand people;

    optimism;

    competence;

    creativity;

    “healthy careerism”;

They are united by one feature: these qualities are generalized, heterogeneous in nature, because allocated on the basis of the structure of activity, profession, and not the structure of personality. Therefore, some psychologists consider such an identification to be unfounded and, based on the fact that managerial activity is not limited to decision-making processes, they try to identify specific personality qualities directly related to successful decision-making. Experiments carried out in this direction are still far from complete, but show that the problem needs serious research. They are united by one feature: these qualities are generalized, heterogeneous in nature, because allocated on the basis of the structure of activity, profession, and not the structure of personality. Therefore, some psychologists consider such an identification to be unfounded and, based on the fact that management activity is not limited only to decision-making processes, they try to identify specific qualities

personalities directly related to successful adoption

decisions. Experiments carried out in this direction are still far away

from completion, but show that the problem needs serious

research

2. Vroom-Yetton decision-making model. What can she do

help the manager when developing and making decisions?

Another very important aspect of psychology is the problem of leadership style and its relationship with the process of development and decision making. How should a manager behave with subordinates in a situation that requires choice? Should you always discuss with them the problem that arises and possible solutions to it? Is it necessary to seek the consent of subordinates to the decision made? A fairly simple and effective situational leadership model developed by Victor Vroom and Philip Yetton helps answer these and similar questions. The Vroom-Yetton model of executive decision-making focuses on the decision-making process. According to the authors of the model, there are five leadership styles that a leader can use, depending on the extent to which subordinates are allowed to participate in decision making. Consider the model in Fig. 1.

Rice. 1 Vroom-Yetton decision-making model.

Below are descriptions of these five styles.

A I. You make a decision yourself, using the information at your disposal at the moment.

A II. You get the necessary information from your subordinates and then solve the problem yourself. At the same time, you may or may not tell your subordinates what the problem is. The role of subordinates in this case is reduced only to providing information.

C I. You present the problem only to those subordinates who are affected by it, and listen to their ideas and suggestions. At the same time, you do not gather them together in one group, but talk with each one individually. Then you make your own decisions, which may or may not reflect the opinions of your subordinates.

C II. The problem that needs to be solved is brought to the attention of all subordinates and the group discusses it together, expressing various opinions and proposals. After that, you make your own decisions, which may or may not reflect the opinions of your subordinates.

G II. You present a problem to a group of subordinates. Together you find and evaluate possible solution alternatives and try to reach agreement. The role of the leader in this case is similar to the role of the chairman of the meeting. He does not try to influence his subordinates to accept his decision, and is ready to accept, approve and implement any decision that the entire group considers most acceptable.

What determines a leader’s choice of any of these possible styles? Firstly, on the nature of the situation and, secondly, on the nature of the problem. To help the manager assess the situation, Vroom and Yetton developed 7 criteria by which the subordinate-manager situation is assessed, and a decision tree model.

Problem criteria in the Vroom-Yetonna model

    the value of the quality of the solution;

    the manager has sufficient information or experience to make a quality decision;

    degree of structure of the problem;

    the importance of subordinates' agreement with the organization's goals and their involvement for the effective implementation of the decision;

    the degree of motivation of subordinates to achieve the goals of the organization;

    the degree of likelihood of conflict between subordinates when choosing an alternative.

Each criterion turns into a question that the manager asks himself when assessing the situation. To determine which of the five styles is appropriate for a particular situation, a leader uses a decision tree. Starting from its “root” - the left side of the model, the leader answers each question sequentially, thus finds the criterion of the problem and ultimately selects the most adequate leadership style.

Conclusion.

Having examined the psychological phenomena of decision-making, we can draw some conclusions.

1. As a result of the analysis of the development and adoption processes

decisions, psychologists have identified many specific features

human behavior - psychological phenomena observed in the decision-making process.

2. Since decisions are made by people, their character is

bears the imprint of the manager’s personality and, therefore, success

the decision-making process largely depends on individual

qualities of a leader.

3. A very important psychological aspect of decision making

is also a problem of leadership style, i.e. correct

behavior of a leader towards subordinates in a situation,

requiring choice. A simple and effective way to solve it

Vroom-Yetton model.

Tests

1. The concepts of “management efficiency” and “efficiency

management decision" are correlated as:

a. completely unrelated categories;

b. dependence of management efficiency on efficiency

decisions made;

c. identical concepts.

A management decision is a choice of an alternative made by a manager within the framework of his official powers and competence and aimed at achieving the goals of the organization. The more correct and effective the management decision is, the more effective the management will be.

2. The criteria for the optimality of the decision made can be

be:

a. only quantitative indicators (profit maximization,

cost minimization);

b. only quality indicators (high quality of service, product design, company image, etc.);

c. both quantitative and qualitative indicators;

Traditional optimality criteria: “maximum profit”, “minimum costs” cannot always be assessed in quantitative terms.

List of used literature.

1. Remennikov V.B. / Development of management decisions: Textbook. manual for universities. – M.: UNITY-DANA, 2000.

2. Website http://e-college.ru.

3. Website http://www.iupmo.ru.



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