BUS102 Decision Making: The Six Thinking Hats Assignment Sample

• Subject Code : BUS102-Introduction-to-Management
• University : Kaplan University My Assignment Services is not sponsored or endorsed by this college or university.
• Subject Name : Management

Introduction to Management - Slide 1

In this activity: students were teamed up in different group and were self named they were then given task to work on collectively. Meetings and brainstorming were a requirement for this activity. The task given was to come up with new social activities to engage students and help them develop relationships with fellow students. The task was approached from six different ways of thinking

Blue hat- what is the goal of this brainstorming: to come up with social activities students like to attend

White hat- what we know: students like fun-filled activities that takes their mind off from the academics like theater, fun competitions, and treasure hunts

Red hat- what are the feelings regarding the information: positive feelings as these are fun activities that anyone can enjoy

Black hat- what might not work: students might not want to show up as they want to focus on academics; they may not get to know about these activities

Yellow hat- what are the benefits: easy to set up within the campus

Green hat- is there a better alternative: activities which requires team participation

With the help of the six method thinking solutions were obtained, such as: book fairs, open theater where anyone can participate, poster competitions, treasure hunts

Introduction to Management - Slide 2

Management is a discipline which requires decision making related to organizing, planning, directing various operations of a company or an organization. These decisions are to be taken in a given time frame and under a specific budget to meet its goal. Six hat techniques is an appropriate choice to make smart decisions. There are various advantages of using the six hat technique due to which selecting this technique for decision making is appropriate. These advantages includes: involving parallel thinking and approaching the problem or the issue from all angles. This technique opens up different possibilities which encourage creative thinking to make decisions. Any possible risks are already mapped out through this technique hence all pitfalls are taken into consideration to make a superior and better decision to face those challenges. This method gives structure during brainstorming which eliminates any conflicts and every one can put forward their ideas.

Introduction to Management - Slide 3

Decision-making procedures: Making decisions specially the important ones is not an easy task. success of a person and a company depends upon the quality of decisions they are making hence it is important to follow a step by step procedure of making decision to ensure they are quality decision made on the bases of evidences, analyzing various alternative options etc.

Following a procedure to make decisions have the following benefits:

They reduce conflict: Improve collective understanding and every member's views are heard which help to prevent conflict

They give everyone a say: Multiple perspectives are generated when every member has a chance to contribute

Quality of the Decision: Since the problem is being solved with the help of combined knowledge of every member in the team the quality of the decision made is higher. Errors are eradicated when everyone can evaluate each other's solutions

They inspire motivation: A higher level of commitment and motivations is generated when whole teams work together to solve a problem.

They make the best use of limited time: With everyone's help and a structured framework to make decisions, problems are solved faster

How the theory relates with the activity

six thinking hat – allows a problem to be solved by analyzing it according to different perspectives , every member of the team gets to put forward their perspective, conflict is reduced and prevented very significantly. This activity helps in the generation of multiple alternative solutions. The frame work of the activity engages and focuses the whole team to work through the problem to collectively make a decision. Failure of the decision is prevented and analyzed by looking at both the pros and the cons of each alternative solution. The above mentioned elements of the six thinking hats are describes successful in theory of decision making procedure hence both the theory and the activity is very much related.

Introduction to Management - Slide 4

Analyze the problem: Answering questions such as what the problem is? Who is it affecting? Etc. Analyzing the problem helps in understanding what is it that needs to be achieved with the decision to be made. What the problem is, who it is affecting etc.

Develop principles as judging criteria for alternative solutions: Baseline criteria are developed which act as guidelines for judging different solutions.

Propose alternatives: With the help of brainstorming entire team can come up with different solutions based on their knowledge and perspectives

Identify pros and cons of all alternatives: Each alternative needs to be judged based on their effectiveness to solve the problem. In this step both negatives and positives of a solution is listed down. Do the positives of the solutions weigh out its negatives and are the consequences of the negatives bearable? Such questions are considered.

Introduction to Management - Slide 5

Six hat thinking strategy is applies at workplaces very often as it is a powerful techniques for forming effective and smart decisions. For Example to solve a problem of small space accommodating 50 members of the society, I utilized six thinking hat method.

White hat: there are 50 students who are using a space that can accommodate only 30 students

Red hat: there were feelings of disappointment as the students cannot do their work and meetings cannot be quietly and effectively held with everyone crammed in such a small space.

Blue hat: Me and the other leader have decide to follow six hat activity individually and then sit together to discuss both of our outcomes individually and finalizing the best options we can implement.

Introduction to Management - Slide 6

Green hat: 1. Look for a bigger space 2. Grouping the students into two groups of 25 students. I will lead one team and the second will be handled by the other leader.3. We can ask only 25 students to attend meeting which will be addressed by both the leaders and the second team can come after. 4. In formations and allocating duties can be done via messaging so there is no need to come

Yellow hat: 1. large team can be handled with ease 2. Cramming and noise would no longer be an issue

Black hat: 1. Students with great talent might start to leave 2. With online messages some students may not take the tasks seriously. 3. Both leaders need to devote more time to address 2 teams when addressing them differently

Remember, at the center of any academic work, lies clarity and evidence. Should you need further assistance, do look up to our Management Assignment Help