Management Fundamentals 7th Edition by Robert N. Lussier

Exercise 3

The following critical-thinking questions can be used for class discussion and/or as written assignments to develop communication skills. Be sure to give complete explanations for all questions.

Are problem solving and decision making really all that important? How do you rate your decision-making ability?

Step 1 of 2

Yes, problem solving and decision-making are important steps in management.

A problem occurs whenever the objectives of an organization are not met and something does not occur as planned. This requires problem solving skills, which is the process of taking corrective action to meet the objectives. Managers are required to be ready with a solution in case of any problem.

On the other hand, decision-making refers to the process of selecting among multiple courses of action that will solve a problem. Therefore a manager is required to have both problem-solving as well as decision-making styles.