One of the personality traits that makes each of us unique is whether we tend to take an intuitive or analytical approach to decision making. Some of us prefer a logical and methodical approach that emphasises observable fact, whereas others prefer a more intuitive approach that emphasises feelings. Both approaches have their merits but which approach is best?
The answer is that either extreme is not entirely effective and the best decision makers in both business and personal life make it a habit of considering both analytical and intuitive aspects of a problem before making a decision. They are also aware of their own preferred thinking style and consciously force themselves to consider problems from the other perspective.
People-related decisions at work are no different to others. Best practice decision-making processes should take into consideration both the feelings of staff and objective data. This might seem like an obvious statement but in my experience it is rare for organisations to design their HR processes with this decision-making balance in mind. It takes a conscious effort by experienced professionals to embed measurement systems within processes in a way that they provides clear data without undermining managerial discretion and balanced decision making approach.
Matt Henricks is the Director of HC. He is an Organisational Psychologist with over 10 years experience working in HR or related fields. Matt has consulted with many of Australia