Are We in Control of our Own Decisions?


In this general assignment, analyze three recent decisions in light of the Daniel Ariely discussion regarding the way in which decisions are presented to us. Use one example of a good decision, a second example of a decision that was neither good nor bad and a third decision that was clearly a bad decision. Examine them from at least two different perspectives using Dan Ariel's methodology or other sources. In either of these examples, were there influences present that caused you to think/act irrationally? Explain. Knowing what you know now, would you make the same decision, again?  Please address this in your assignment.



Ariely (2009) posits that many decisions we make are greatly influenced by how our choices are presented to us. Further, he points out is that our preferences are not always obvious unless all choices are presented. 

3 decisions that come to mind are when we purchased our car in 2010, when we purchased a washing machine, and finally deciding upon a contractor to remodel our master bathroom. 

Our car purchase was a good choice that benefited from lots of options and a good analysis of what value we were able to get relative to our price point.  Relating to Ariely’s point, the more options we were exposed to, the easier our decision was.

Our washing machine purchase was a little more straight forward, as I knew that I wanted certain features that would eliminate many brands and styles.  What ended up being the deciding factor was also availability, as I was in a rush to have the washing machine delivered just prior to leaving on a 10 day work trip. 

The worst decision was easily the contractor we settled on for our bathroom remodel.  The first problem can be seen in the word I used – “settled”.  Although this person came recommended, we had nothing to compare this choice to.  As this decision relates to Ariely, our initial choice was void of preferences, meaning we had nothing else to compare the work and the behavior of the contractor to except as recommendation from my wife’s hairdresser. The person had done some good work prior to our contracting, however warning signs manifest themselves early on, but by then, it was too late. 

I would very much like to go back and find a different contractor, especially given the amount of time our bathroom lay dormant (it’s finished now, but yikes). In retrospect, I think our decision not to fully appreciate how this contractor was better at finishing, or detail work rather actual construction made for a poor decision.



Ariely, D. (2009, January 13). We're All Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely. Retrieved February 05, 2018, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=984&v=JhjUJTw2i1M

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our assignment is to "Describe how your level of self-awareness has changed since you began your MSLD program with respect to the "Five Core Aspects of Self-Awareness"" To be perfectly honest, upon reflection of the "five core aspects of self-awareness" has made me realize how any reflections of these aspects as applied to my personal awareness was really done on a basic and simple level.  However, one item did pique my interest.   Emotional Intelligence was a term that I was exposed to from a previous class, Organizational Behavior 520.   In general terms, Goleman had built upon Mann's intelligence theory of leadership.  Mann stated that intelligence plays a key role in leadership attributes, and that Goleman's theory of emotional intelligence was a natural extension of this theory.  However, upon looking at both Mann's and Goleman's theory, little evidence was provided that first confirmed that Mann was correct, which would then ma...
Read more

Empowerment

Empowered!   Describe a time when you have been empowered to accomplish something.   Reflect on how others supported you and how the endeavor was accomplished.   How can you apply those lessons to your own followers? The best example I can provide is when I was tasked to acquire new flight planning software for our airline.   Our operation was struggling financially, but there was reason for optimism due to a new aircraft we were acquiring which stretched our operations into Europe.   This required an upgrade to a new software program that had the capability for international flight planning.   The Chief Pilot and Director of Safety had confidence in me to conduct the research and propose the most capable software for purchase.   The task itself was fairly straight forward, as the requirements were fairly obvious.   What I appreciated from both gentlemen was their counsel on presenting this information to the company owner.  ...
Read more

Decision Making

Hoch, Chapter 3 discusses the power of everyday reasoning in multistage decision-making. The text discusses the way that researchers solve multistage problems through the application of formulas (dynamic programming models) that provide the most significant chances of success. Critically think about your own decision-making process and reflect on the process you use in relation to the decision making process recommendations outlined in the article. How would you apply optimal dynamic decision analysis to predict the future impact of today's decision? Additionally, would the conclusions reached on pages 57ff. of the text improve your decision-making? How and why? Note: Hoch textbook has not arrived at this time. I tend to employ a more analytical process when it comes to purchasing a large ticket item, such as a refridgerator or car.  In looking comparing various products, I tend to look at what features and long term value is offered for a particular price point.  Th...
Read more