Marc’s MSLD Reflection Blog

The Cynefin Framework encourages leaders to take different approaches to decision making in different contexts.  “Good leadership is not a one-size-fits-all proposition” (Snowden & Boone, 2007, para. 2). The Cynefin Framework categorizes decision into four contexts: simple, complicated, complex, and chaotic.  The framework provides decision makers with principles and guidelines to follow when confronted with decisions in each context. Simple decisions include straightforward thinking and best practices.  Leaders are challenged to sense an issue or question, categorize it, and respond appropriately. Complicated decisions are the areas of experts. Best practices are no longer sufficient to overcome this kind of challenge.  Leaders sense a problem, analyze how to best overcome it, and respond appropriately (Watkins, n.d.). As challenges become more complex decision makers are forced to recognize that solutions may not yet exist, but will emerge through ex...

There are many factors that influence the decisions we make.  Many decisions, especially those made by leaders, have the potential to affect a large number of people.  It is important for a decision-maker to approach a challenging decision from multiple viewpoints to get the whole picture of the issue.  By involving all interested parties in the decision making process the understanding of the issue can be expanded and better decisions can be made.  “Improving the decision-making process comes as a result of evolving ideas around collaboration and by connecting people and empowering them to work together” (Austin, 2013, para. 2).  Collaboration harnesses and combines the abilities, creativity, and potential of everyone involved. “Collaboration . . . attempts to build a shared vision, accountability, and buy-in” (Warner, 2012, para. 1).   It is often the dimension of time that influences the level of collaboration that is employed while making a chall...

Stephen R. Covey (1989) said “Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand.  We listen with the intent to reply.” Most people are not very good listeners. When people around us are speaking, or even when we are engaged in conversation, our minds are off doing other things.  We might be planning our response to what is being said, we might be thinking about our plans for later in the day, or we might be completely lost in daydreams. For most people, listening, really listening, is not a natural ability.  It takes practice to listen well. Listening has been defined as “a conscious, cognitive effort involving primarily the sense of hearing and leading to interpretation and understanding” (Sayeekumar, 2013). The key is that listening leads to understanding.   Effective communication occurs when the message that is sent by a speaker is the same as the message that is received by a listener.  However, active listening is much more than simply hear...

When we are confronted with a choice our values determine what path we will take.  We are constantly in a struggle to have our values met. When we act in accordance with our values we feel contentment and satisfaction, knowing we are living a life full of what is most important to us.  When we act inconsistently with our values we feel dissatisfaction, unease, and incongruity. For example, I value health and fitness. Every time I eat a cookie I feel a slight tinge of guilt, knowing that my actions have been inconsistent with my values.  Our personal values have a large impact on our goals and the direction of our life. Our personal values determine how we act in different situations. Our decision making is the way we work to fulfill our personal values. Many of the decisions we are faced with are not so simple.  Many of our choices include conflicting values. “When faced with a particular decision, we are called upon to figure out what general values are ...

Deception during negotiations is not uncommon.  One study indicated that 28 percent of negotiators lied about a common interest issue while in the process of negotiating (Hoch, Kureuther, Gunther, 2001).  Deception comes in two forms: omission and commission. Lies of omission occur when the full truth about an issue is not disclosed. Lies of commission are committed when information is intentionally misrepresented.  Although people generally feel less guilt associated with lies of omission than lies of commission, ethicists contend that lies of omission and lies of commission “are morally equivalent if the outcomes and the liar’s intentions are the same” (Hoch, et al., 2001, p. 189).   “As the benefits of lying rise and the costs of lying fall, negotiators become more likely to lie” (Hoch, et al., 2001, p. 191).  Generally the potential benefits of lying during negotiation are easily discerned, but estimating the possible costs can be more of a challenge...

I like to say that each person sees the world through a different kitchen window.  Each person has a distinct viewpoint and perspective of the world around them. These distinct individual perspectives and viewpoints are known as frames. “Frames determine how we see the world” (Hoch, Kunreuther, & Gunther, 2001, p. 133).  “Frames are the means by which managers make sense of ambiguous information” (Kaplan, 2008, p. 729).  Frames are important to the decision making process because “they simplify and focus our attention on what we deem is most relevant, making it possible to decide more quickly and efficiently than with widespread attention” (Hoch, et al., 2001, p. 133).  Essentially, a frame is the “kitchen window” we look through at the outside world. It is the context in which we perceive, interpret, judge, act, and decide. However, frames introduce certain inherent weaknesses into a way of thinking.  “Frames create highlights and shadows, focusing ...

Businesses today are more complex than they have ever been.  Advances in technology are being developed at a pace that many people, including organizational leaders, cannot keep up with.  Advances in communication technology have produced a world that is more interconnected. This increased connectedness has created a business environment that is more complex than ever before (Obolensky, 2016).  Even small businesses are able to compete on a global scale through ecommerce. The organization where I am employed has had to sense and respond to a more complex environment. Potential customers can learn more about the organization and competitors with a few mouse clicks. Organizational leaders often struggle to keep up with the increased complexity in today’s environment.  There are three primary sources of complexity in today’s business arena. First, the information age in which we live has lead to a business environment that is increasingly rich in data.  Th...