Planning and Decision Making
Planning sets direction. Decision making chooses among alternatives. Together they determine what organizations do.
Types of Plans
Strategic (long-term), tactical (medium-term), operational (short-term). Standing plans (policies, procedures) vs single-use plans (budgets, projects).
Strategic Planning
Mission/vision, environmental analysis, internal analysis, strategy formulation, implementation, evaluation. SWOT analysis combines internal and external assessment.
Decision Making
Identify problem, generate alternatives, evaluate, select, implement, monitor. Rational model vs bounded rationality (Simon).
Tools
Decision trees, cost-benefit analysis, payoff matrices, brainstorming, Delphi method, data analytics.
MBO
Management by Objectives: collaborative goal-setting, performance evaluation against objectives. Aligns individual and organizational goals.
Summary
Planning and decision making guide organizational direction through strategic planning, SWOT, and MBO frameworks.