Responsible decision-making

Responsible decision-making

A decision is the choice an individual makes after considering different options in a given situation. Decision-making is one way of solving problems.

Responsible decision-making involves making a choice after carefully considering all available options and using particular criteria to make the best choice.

Importance of responsible decision-making

Decision making is important for the following reasons:

1. It leads to the effective implementation of tasks.
2. It helps in making difficult and dangerous decisions.
3. It builds a sense of commitment when members of the society are involved in making decisions that affect them.
4. It facilitates proper utilization of available resources.
5. It ensures a sense of equality. This is due to the equal participation of members in decision making.
6. It ensures efficiency because members of the society make decisions on issues that concern them.
7. It creates a sense of collective responsibility in carrying out tasks and policies.
8. It encourages a person to achieve what he or she has planned to do.

Skills needed to make responsible decisions

There are six steps that help a person to make good decisions. These are:

1. Identifying the problem: problem here means the issue a person needs to make a decision on. For example, a form one student scores low marks in civics.
2. Listing the possible solutions to the problem: at this stage the person collects information on possible solutions to the problem. In our example the possible solutions can be:
   • To take part in group discussion
   • To increase the amount of time spent studying civics.
   • To get extra tuition from the teacher.
3. Starting the criteria to use: at this stage the person analyzes the principles to consider in selecting a particular solution. That means he or she thinks of advantages and disadvantages of each solution listed.
4. Evaluation: to evaluate is to form an opinion of something after careful consideration. In this case, the person forms an opinion on available alternatives in order to make a decision. At this stage the person compares the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative solution. In our example above, the student should consider the chances of success or failure in choosing one solution over the others. On the basis of evaluation, a decision is made.
5. Making decision: the person selects the best solution and acts on it. In our example a student can decide to take part in group discussion.
6. Checking the results: this means assessing the choice made to determine whether the decision has worked to solve the problem. If the problem has not been solved, then the person goes over the list of possible solutions and tries another alternative to see whether it works.