Course pre-requisite(s): General Management course

Course Overview

Decision-making and problem solving skills are critical for personal and professional success. This course will help students’ cultivate a strategic mindset, exercise critical thinking, and enhance their ability to synthesize data, evaluate multiple strategic options, and choose the most effective course of action. The topics explored in this course will help students acquire the necessary skills and competencies to lead strategically as they examine problems creatively, assess the implications of strategic options, and prepare plans for effective execution of strategies. In short, students will learn to act decisively and communicate strategic decisions clearly and persuasively.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will: 

• Develop decision making, critical thinking and creative problem solving skills
• Use traditional and innovative techniques to analyze information and effectively communicate problems
• Create strategic solutions to real life business issues in complex settings using both formal and innovative strategic frameworks
• Work collaboratively and contribute to a problem solving team

Course Content

This course will explore a number of topics including:

• Understanding Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Understanding Your Decision Making Style
• Avoiding Decision Making Traps
• Understanding emotion in judgment and decision making
• Procrastination and Decision Making
• Creative Problem Solving and Decision Making Techniques
• Defining Problems, Recognizing Opportunities
• Quality Tools for Decision Making
• Strategic Decision Making

Instructional Method

The course utilizes interactive lectures, case analyses, experiential activities, and independent readings in a workshop style format.  Emphasis is largely placed on Instructor facilitated discussions and interactions with students including student presentations, roleplay and debates centered on strategic issues. Lectures rely on the Socratic Method to the extent possible and sessions feature videos, situational vignettes, and guest speakers, as deemed appropriate. 

Required Course Materials

Students will explore course topics using several book excerpts, articles and case studies drawn from current research and practices in strategic decision-making.  Journal publications, secular articles, Harvard Business School cases studies, and real-life case studies of well-recognized organizations will further enrich the course. 

Articles:

• Shared Leadership: What is it, why is it important, and who wants it anyway?
• The Discipline of Building Character
• 360 Degree Feedback: See the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
• Leadership Is A Conversation
• What They’re Saying About You When You’re Not In The Room – And What You Can Do To Influence It
• The Problem with Strategic Planning
• Nine Ground Rules To Adopt During Strategic Planning
• Guidelines for Writing a Management Teaching Case
• HBR’S 10 Must Reads On Leadership, Goffee, Robert, Jones, Gareth, Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?

Assessment

Students will take one individual exam and complete a series of inter-related individual and team-based tasks culminating in a final project.