Chapter 5 Planning and Decision Making

Question 1

planning

Answer 1

choosing a goal and developing a strategy to achieve that goal

Question 2

what are the benefits of planning?

Answer 2

intensified efforts, persistence, direction, and creation of task strategies

Question 3

what are the pitfalls of planning?

Answer 3

impede change, slow needed adaptation, false sense of certainty, and detachment of planners

Question 4

what are the five steps to make a plan that works?

Answer 4

1. set goals (S.M.A.R.T)
2. develop commitments to the goals
3. develop effective action plans
4. track progress towards goal
5. maintain flexibility in planning

Question 5

what do S.M.A.R.T goals stand for?

Answer 5

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Timely

Question 6

goal commitment

Answer 6

the determination to achieve a goal

Question 7

action plan

Answer 7

plan that lists specific steps, people, resources, and time periods needed to attain a goal

Question 8

what are the two methods of tracking progress?

Answer 8

1. set proximal and distal goals
2. gather and provide performance feedback

Question 9

proximal goals

Answer 9

short term goals or subgoals

Question 10

distal goals

Answer 10

long term or primary goals

Question 11

option-based planning

Answer 11

maintain planning flexibility by making, small simultaneous investments in many alternative plans

Question 12

slack resources

Answer 12

a cushion of extra resources that can be used with option-based planning to adapt to unanticipated challenges, problems, or opportunities

Question 13

strategic plans

Answer 13

overall company plans that clarify how the company will serve customers and position itself against competition over the next two to five years

Question 14

purpose statement

Answer 14

a statement of a company’s purpose or reasoning for existing

Question 15

strategic objective

Answer 15

a more specific goal that unifies company-wide efforts, stretches and challenges the organization, and possesses a finish line and a time frame

Question 16

tactical plans

Answer 16

plans created and implemented by middle managers that direct behavior, efforts, and attention over the next six months to two years

Question 17

management by objectives

Answer 17

a four-step process in which managers and employees discuss and select goals, develop tactical plans, and meet regularly to review progress toward goal accomplishment

Question 18

operational plans

Answer 18

day-to-day plans, developed and implemented by lower-level managers, for producing or delivering the organization’s products or services over a 30-day to six-month period

Question 19

single-use plans

Answer 19

plans that cover unique, one-time-only events

Question 20

standing plans

Answer 20

plans used repeatedly to handle frequently recurring events

Question 21

policies

Answer 21

standing plans that indicate the general course of action that should be taken in response to a particular event or situation

Question 22

procedures

Answer 22

standing plans that indicate the specific steps that should be taken in response to a particular event

Question 23

rules and regulations

Answer 23

standing plans that describe how a particular action should be performed or what must happen or not happen in response to a particular event

Question 24

budgeting

Answer 24

quantitative planning through which managers decide how to allocate available money to best accomplish company goals

Question 25

decision making

Answer 25

the process of choosing a solution from available alternatives

Question 26

rational decision making

Answer 26

a systematic process of defining problems, evaluating alternatives, and choosing optimal solutions

Question 27

problem

Answer 27

a gap between a desired state and an existing state

Question 28

decision criteria

Answer 28

the standards used to guide judgments and decisions

Question 29

absolute comparisons

Answer 29

a process in which each decision criterion is compared to a standard or ranked on its own merits

Question 30

relative comparisons

Answer 30

a process in which each decision criterion is compared directly with every other criterion

Question 31

maximize

Answer 31

choosing the best alternative

Question 32

satisficing

Answer 32

choosing a “good-enough” alternative

Question 33

groupthink

Answer 33

a barrier to good decision making caused by the pressure within the group for members to agree with each other

Question 34

c-type conflict (cognitive conflict)

Answer 34

disagreement that focuses on problem- and issue-related differences of opinion

Question 35

a-type conflict (affect conflict)

Answer 35

disagreement that focuses on individuals or personal issues

Question 36

devil’s advocacy

Answer 36

a decision-making method in which an individual or a subgroup is assigned the role of critic

Question 37

dialectal inquiry

Answer 37

a decision-making method in which decision makers state the assumptions of a proposed solution (a thesis) and generate a solution that is the opposite (antithesis) of that solution

Question 38

nominal group technique

Answer 38

a decision-making method that begins and ends by having group members quietly write down and evaluate ideas to be shared with the group

Question 39

delphi technique

Answer 39

a decision-making method in which members of a panel of experts respond to questions and to each other until reaching agreement on an issue

Question 40

brainstorming

Answer 40

a decision-making method in which group members build on each others’ ideas to generate as many alternative solutions as possible

Question 41

electronic brainstorming

Answer 41

a decision-making method in which group members use computers to build on each others’ ideas and generate as many alternative solutions as possible

Question 42

production blocking

Answer 42

a disadvantage of face-to-face brainstorming in which a group member must wait to share an idea because another member is presenting an idea

Question 43

evaluation apprehension

Answer 43

fear of what others may think of your ideas