Ross et al (2004) undertake an incisive analysis into the processes of decision making in their article. Decision making is apparently the single most instrumental act that determines the degree of success that an organization can achieve, given the prevailing situations. The reason for this assertion is because the decisions made go a long way in shaping the outcomes achieved by an organization. Therefore, it is appropriate for the decision makers to come up with the right decisions at all times, which will in turn steer the organization through milestones of success year after year. As such, it is necessary to equip those tasked with the duty of making decisions on behalf of the organization the right decision making models or platforms that would enable them to reach the best decisions on behalf of the company. To this end, the authors review the Recognition Primed Decision (RPD) model of decision making and its impact on the decisions made by organizations, in this case, adopting the military and defense forces as a case study,
According to the authors, the RPD model of decision making is instrumental for decision makers in the sense that it describes how the decision makers can recognize a plausible Course of Action (COA) as the first one to consider as opposed to evaluating various alternatives that they are unsure of their outcomes. For instance, in the case of the military, an army commandant can use his or her knowledge, training, as well as experience to assist him to come up with a generally correct assessment of a situation, in addition to being in a position to develop and mentally war gamming a plausible COA. This is as opposed to the case where the commandant would have to take time and deliberately as well as methodically contrast the plausible COA with other possible alternatives for a particular situation, whereby he or she employs a common set of abstract evaluation dimensions.
As such, it is evident from the above example that the RPD model of decision making is instrumental in enabling the decision makers come up with the right decisions given the prevailing circumstances or situations. In addition, the adoption of the RPD model is particularly effective in the sense that it combines both knowledge and experience to enable the decision makers come up with the right decision at the right time, as opposed to fumbling with possible alternatives, which might as well lead to the loss of the business opportunity or lead the company into misfortunes due to delayed or wrong decisions (Ross et al., 2004). For instance, making a wrong decision or delay in making any decision for a military commandant would cost him or her the lives of his or her entire platoon, as the wrong of the delayed decision would lead the servicemen into the hands of their enemies that would be too happy to annihilate them.
Similarly, businesses need to approach the decision making construct with the same approach, in the sense that every delayed decision or every wrong decision would cost the business or the company its lifeline. Just like the army commandant risks the lives of his or her battalion because of his or her indecision, so is the case with a manager or an executive charged with making the right decisions on behalf of the company. This is because the manager risks placing the business at the mercies of its competitors, who would only be too happy to crush it and share the spoils of war. Nonetheless, the adoption of the RPD decision making model is instrumental in the sense that it enables those charged with the duty of decision making to come up with the right decisions at the right time, and within the right timeframe, by making use of their experience, knowledge, as well as training in a particular field, as opposed to wasting time fumbling with inappropriate alternatives that may lead to the company losing a lucrative opportunity, either due to delayed decision making, or due to poor decision making.
Through experience and knowledge, one can easily deduce the most plausible course of action that would lead to the best outcomes for a particular situation. This is especially considering the fact that the manager or in this case, the military commandant has encountered a similar situation in the past. As such, the choice to apply that knowledge in the present situation would probably lead to the very best of results that the company might ever get, not to mention promoting its productivity (Ross et al., 2004). In the military, the use of the RPD decision making model is an effective technique in winning battles and succeeding in wars, especially considering the fact that second chances do not exist in wars, and that every wrong or delayed decision made would be the very last decision one will ever have an opportunity of making.
In conclusion, I support the adoption of the Recognition Primed Decision (RPD) model of decision making as it is the most appropriate model that facilitates the making of right decisions as well as timely decisions. As such, with the right decisions, the company will not miss the opportunities that emerge in the course of doing business. In the same regard, with timely decisions, the company may not face any unnecessary delays in decision making, delays that may lead to the ultimate compromise of their strongholds, leaving themselves exposed to their enemies.
Reference
Ross, K., Klein, G., Thunholm, P., Schmitt, J. & Baxter, H. (2004). The Recognition-Primed Decision Model. Military Review, July – August 2004, pp.6 -10.
