PART I DECISION-MAKING AND COMPUTERIZED SUPPORT ARE THERE PROBLEM-SOLVING PERSONALITIES?

84 PART I DECISION-MAKING AND COMPUTERIZED SUPPORT ARE THERE PROBLEM-SOLVING PERSONALITIES?

Hoenig feels that solving any problem involves six  The Communicator (building relationships) covers essential skills. The more you can master, the better the

how to move from insight to community by culti- ultimate result. The six essential skills are generating

vating quality communication and interaction, and so mind-set, acquiring knowledge, building relationships,

creating an ever expanding circle of relationships managing problems, creating solutions, and delivering

based on service, loyalty, and identity. results. The tougher, larger, and more demanding a

problem or opportunity, and the faster and more com-  The Playmaker (managing problems) focuses on

petitive your environment, the more important they moving from building a community to giving the become.

community a sense of direction and clear priorities by choosing destinations and strategies.

Each of the six essentials represents a package of habits, skills, and knowledge that effectively comprise a

 The Creator (creating solutions) shows how to move problem-solving personality. Each personality draws its

from leadership to power by designing, building, and strength from a variety of specialties and professions. The

maintaining optimal solutions.

six personalities serve as a convenient way to assess  The Performer (delivering results) concentrates on oneself and others in the workplace, to identify one's own

moving from power to sustainable advantage through personal mixture of strengths and weaknesses and how to

intuitive and disciplined implementation. develop a complete problem-solving capability. Great

problem-solvers know the strengths and weaknesses of the The difference between the best and the worst different personality types. They build teams that problem-solvers is how many of the six essentials they can compensate for their weakness, creating wholes that are cultivate (by themselves and/or with others) and how equal to or greater than the sum of their parts. The deeply the skills are understood-individually and problem-solving personalities (and skills) are

collectively. To become an expert problem-solver, one

 The must understand the six essentials, practice them, master

Innovator (generating mind-set) focuses on them at one level and then move on toward the limits of moving from self-doubt to innovation by developing potent ideas and attitudes, above all through seeking one's potential. An interesting aspect of these skills and out alternative points of view.

personalities is to consider how they mesh with Simon's four phases of decision-making.

 The Discoverer (acquiring knowledge) concentrates

on moving from innovation to insight by asking the Source: Abstracted from C. Hoenig, "Means to an End," right questions and getting good, timely information. CIO, November 1,2000, p. 204. Also see C. Hoenig. From the Problem Solving Journey.

Perseus Publishing, Cambridge,

MA,2000.

also from one situation to the next. The manner in which managers make decisions (and the way they interact with other people) describes their decision style. Because decision styles depend on the factors described earlier, there are many decision styles. Personality temperament tests are often used to determine decision styles. Since there are many such tests, it is important to try to equate them in determining decision style. However Leonard et al. (1999) discovered that the various tests measure somewhat different aspects of personality, so they cannot be equated.

In addition to the heuristic and analytic styles mentioned earlier, one can distinguish autocratic versus democratic styles; another style is consultative (with individuals or groups). Of course, there are many combinations and variations of styles. For example, one can be analytic and autocratic, or consultative (with individuals) and heuristic.

For a computerized system to successfully support a manager, it should fit the decision situation as well as the decision style. Therefore, the system should be flexible and adaptable to different users.

27. CHAPTER 2 DECISION-MAKING SYSTEMS, MODELING, AND SUPPORT

vides flexibility in this direction. A Web-based interface using graphics is a desirable feature in supporting certain decision styles. If a management support system is to support varying styles, skills, and knowledge, it should not attempt to enforce a specific process. Rather, it should help decision-makers use and develop their own styles, skills, and knowledge.

Different decision styles require different types of support. A major factor that determines the type of required support is whether the decision-maker is an individual or a group. Individual decision-makers need access to data and to experts who can provide advice, while groups additionally need collaboration tools. Web-based MSS can provide support to both.

There is a lot of information on the Web about cognitive style and decision style (e.g., see Birkman International Inc. at birkman.com; and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter and Keirsey Temperament Theory Web site at keirsey.com). Many personality/temperament tests are available to help managers identify their own styles and those of their employees. Identifying an individual's style can help establish the most effective communication patterns and ideal tasks for which he or she is suited.