Decision-making is a process through which a group or team can conclude about something. However, the process of decision-making has grown from traditional method to much modern process. It has been evident that traditional method of decision-making ahs failed to achieve desired results and judgment, especially in a team decision-making process. Recent decision-making process uses modern methods and models to reach desired outcomes in a situation. However, decision-making process within a team differs from individual decision-making process. This is because there are various hurdles that need to be dealt with while making a successful decision within a team. It is necessary that the team members are skilled about the task that they will discuss in teamwork (Betts & Healy, 2015). Task 1 discusses the reflection about the process that was adopted in a decision-making within a group. It further analyzes the learning from the effective decision making that took place in the group.
Making a decision in a group is not an easy task as all the people are from culturally different background and with their personal mindset about the issue that needs to be discussed. Thus, many credentials need to be maintained within the group to make sure an effective decision is taken. A group of five people was formed to make a decision on the strategy that is needed for influencing students to take up online MBA learning. It was not easy to take a decision on this as the members were from different cultures and had different understanding and importance of online learning. In a culturally different group, it is difficult to reach in a single decision quickly. There were five members in a group including me and we all were from different cultures. We met to discuss on the strategy about the ways by which students can be encouraged to take up more and more online MBA learning in Chifley Business School. Deciding a single strategy for the student was difficult to form in such a diverse group. The team met in a room to discuss about the issue and offer a solution. At first, it was seen that every member in the group has differences in their opinion due to the cultural background they have come from. Everyone in the group had different opinion for learning method and its usefulness. Thus, we decided that we fill follow some steps in order to reach to a mutual decision in which everyone can give their contribution (Gren & Goldman, 2016). The steps that is crucial in a decision making process is recognizing the right issue, defining the issue to be resolved, gather appropriate information and develop alternative solution. These steps will finally help to reach to a mutual decision. We also selected a leader from outside the group that will guide us to take a right decision.
Our group followed these steps wisely with the help of Tuckman decision-making model to reach the desired result. Tuckman published his model for making the decision making process easy for the team having differences in knowledge and views. The model states the decision to be taken in four steps such as norming, forming, storming and performing (Levi, 2015). We did follow the same steps for forming a mutual strategy to encourage students for online learning. According to the model, a team develops slowly and after it is matured, relationships are established. Moreover, the leaders also start changing their leadership strategy accordingly. The first step that we followed form the Tuckman’s decision-making model is forming (Goetsch & Davis, 2014). This step involved the plan about the issue that we wanted to discuss in the meeting. In this step, we structured our problem statement that is the challenges one can face while encouraging the students for online MBA learning. The forming step also involved structuring the process that will be followed to reach the decision. In this stage, the leader of the group acted like a director and conveyed his view on the structure that we formed. However, the forming process was not simple, as it seemed because as everyone had difference of opinion, the proposed steps to reach the solution was different (Anderson et al., 2015). Thus, everyone was given the chance to present their own views by which they want to reach a decision. After the views were given, the leader of the group analyzed it and formed a mutual statement regarding the issue and process to meet it. The next stage was storming in which the leader acted like a coach, guiding us to reach a decision. In this stage, all the five members of the tea gave their own opinion in front of others and showed disagreements on other decisions. There were few members in the team for whom online MBA learning was important, while for others it was not. Storming stage involved a lot of arguments and disagreement between the members (Ceschi, Dorofeeva & Sartori, 2014). This was followed by norming stage in which conflicts a disagreement got resolved by recognizing a common goal of the members. We decided after prior discussion and explanation that it is important to encourage student for MBA online learning. However, the process of encouraging might differ depending on the type of learning process a student supports.
These three stages involved a lot of discussion and arguments and helped us to reach a single problem statement and a process to encourage the students for MBA online learning, without much forcing them. Last stage involved performing the desired problem statement and encouraging the students for the online MBA in Chifley Business School. The communication method that we decided to use in order to spread our motive to the students was emailing and Blogs. This is because emailing is the best way to reach young generation and blog is the one of the cost effective communication method one can use to display their thoughts. After deciding the communication methods, we formulated a planned and structure of the blog and email that we will use to reach the children. While forming this plan, again the Tuckman method was used and mutual plan came out as a decision (Treweek et al., 2013). There were other strategies too that we decided to communicate directly with the students. For the purpose, the leader of the group gave each member the responsibility to meet the students and encourage them in their own way.
The decision making process that I was involved in helped me to learn many things about teamwork and the way to reach a mutual decision. The team in which I was involved consisted of five members having differences in their views (Anderson et al., 2015). Thus, the process we followed in the group to reach a single decision taught me many things.
Thus, teamwork has developed a sense of responsibility within me and the understanding of considering the suggestion of others before reaching any decision. Moreover, the decision taken as a team helped us to formulate ways by which all types of students can be targeted (Treweek et al., 2013). This is because there are students that have different perception about online learning needs to be dealt differently. Thus, team decision making helps to deal with such students effectively.
Conclusion
From the above reflection, it can be concluded that team decision making has been a successful one for the team. It involved a well-planned strategy and stages to reach to an efficient decision. To reach to a mutual decision the team used the Tuckman model of team development, in which it involved four different stages. This helped the team to move accordingly by involving every member in the group. The team moved upward from the storming stage where everyone had differences of views to performing stage where everything was settled and decision was taken. The responsibility of the leader also changed with stages from director to coach. Teamwork has helped the complex decision of encouraging students for online MBA learning to a much easy and smooth process. Thus, students will be encouraged for online MBA learning with two communication methods such as blogs and emailing.
Chifley Business School is one of the known business schools in Australia offering pot graduate courses to the students. The school has gained its name from the type of education it offers to its students. Recently the school has come up with a new online MBA courses for the students through which they can get involved in the online discussion. However, students should be informed and encouraged to engage themselves in the online discussions and online MBA program. This is because online program is in high demand in today’s education and it is the most effective way students can learn (Best, Manktelow & Taylor, 2014). Task 2 discusses strategy to influence the students to take up online MBA program in Chifley Business School. Further, it states the best possible communication methods that the university can use to communicate with the students.
The university has formed a group consisting of five people with the responsibility of strategizing various methods to encourage students to take up online learning. This is because it is a new type of learning and it is important to inform students about the program and the benefits they will get from taking up such discussions. However, it was seen that the members of the team were from different cultures, which made it difficult for them to come to a single decision. This is because they had different perception about online learning. However, a decision was reached about that everyone will influence student to adapt online learning by approaching people with different perception in a different manner.
It is important to convey the message to the student about the benefits and importance this course offer to them compared to the in house course and discussion programs (Cook, & Grant-Davie, 2016). By showing, a supportive statement and reasons to the student for the online learning in the university will help them to engage more number of students.
Thus, the university will be able to attract more number of students by offering such benefits to the student through one online MBA course at an affordable cost. Moreover, they will also be offered with proper training to adapt itself in the online course.
The strategy that the university can use to engage students in the online MBA course is by making the students aware about the course and how it is better than the regular in house MBA subject learning is. The major strategy is communication as it is only through effective communication the university will be able to engage students in the online programs (Cook, & Grant-Davie, 2016). For the purpose, the university has decided to take up online communication tool to communicate the course details and classes to the student. The online tool that the company will use is direct emailing, social media and blogs (Hilliard, 2015). These three tools are effective and some of the less costly tools that the university can use to help students engage with the online learning. Moreover, students are extensively active in these online portals and can be reached easily. The university can also arrange online and video session in class to interact with the students directly (Best, Manktelow & Taylor, 2014). Professors from other university can take video classes during the regular classes to teach the students. it is important that the university uses such mediums to reach the students because online courses has expanded a lot compared to previous years and there are large number of university offering similar course at affordable and competitive course fee. Moreover, there are students that does not feel comfortable in online learning and feel that they will learn better in regular courses. Thus, to engage them in such course is important for the university with the development in education sector.
Different online tools will have different role to play in encouraging students for their engagement in the online classes for various subjects.
Social media: In the social media tool, the university can design their own page about various chapters and upload it on the group formed in Facebook so that students can see and are encouraged to learn in such way. It can upload the page in social media sites and in the university website as well. This will help them to share the information about the class to the new students as well as to the existing students of the university. Moreover, social media will also help university to interact with the students about their grievance they have for the method during the course and train them accordingly (Perrin, 2015).
Blogs: Blogs is another way the company can connect to the student and convey their course information to them. It can develop blogs and upload it in their website giving a detailed description of various subjects and chapters of the course and the points that will encourage students. The blog will consist of a Meta description, which will put a call tone to the blog. It is an effective way to attract students that are already studying in the university and wants to take up online learning methods efficiently. It is the fastest method the university can develop and ask the student to write the blogs (Hilliard, 2015).
Direct emailing: direct mailing can be done by formulating a well-designed mail for the student about the detailed description of the chapters and mailing the file and lecture notes to the students. This is because students nowadays are much active online and receive much of the messages in their mail. This will also help the students to do other tasks as they do not need to attend the class every day (Radu, 2013).
Along with the online communication channels, the university will also use direct communication channels to interact with the students directly and know their views about the learning. For directly communicating with the students, university personals can form groups and authorize them to train the students of the university about online learning. There will be personals visiting the students from outside that will help the students train about the technical process of being connected in the video session during the normal class hours. Moreover the students will also be trained on the online portal that the university will develop in which students can share their issues directly to the professor during the video class and the professor can share the answer to the whole class. While sending messages students will message their query to the whole class so that everyone gets to know the answer. All these trainings will be offered to the students in the class. This is because regular classes are the best place to interact with the students. The university can also conduct induction and orientation for students of other university and explain the benefits of the course and its future prospective (Kang, 2014). During the induction, the students can question the university about their queries and the challenges that they are facing during the course. The teams will also be asked to visit various job institutes that hire employees from business backgrounds. The students in the university will be encouraged to take up online MBA courses to increase their chances of getting job in future by getting technically advanced. Moreover, as it is online, it will be beneficial for them to complete the course along with other tasks.
To carry out the direct communication process effectively, the university will send trainers with different training skills at different days so that they can cover wide range of technical training process. Thus, it is seen that communication will be the most effective tool for the university to spread its course details and increase student engagement in the program. Moreover, communication is also effective to encourage students to adapt themselves with the online learning program and increase their chances of getting employed. Thus, two types of communication such as online and direct communication strategy will help the university to engage large number of students for the online course (Best, Manktelow, & Taylor, 2014). Communication has been chosen as the strategy because it is the best way to accelerate the mind of the students to take up such online classes.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that communication is the most effective way to interact with the students and encourage them to engage themselves in online learning. The communication tools that the university can use for increasing student engagement is online tools such as social media, blogs and emailing and direct communication tools. In direct communication tool, the professors will interact with students by interacting through video classes. These communication strategies will be effective if implemented properly and will allow the student to understand the usefulness of the online class. Students will be shared with the benefits and future prospects of the course through these communication tools. The major benefits of the course are to help students take up MBA course along with other activities. The course will be useful for professional that are pursuin the course with their job. Thus, the effective way to engage the students in online learning is to encourage them through various communication tools. However, for the purpose the university will try to complete the process with least investment cost.
References
Anderson, D. R., Sweeney, D. J., Williams, T. A., Camm, J. D., & Cochran, J. J. (2015). An introduction to management science: quantitative approaches to decision making. Cengage learning.
Best, P., Manktelow, R., & Taylor, B. (2014). Online communication, social media and adolescent wellbeing: A systematic narrative review. Children and Youth Services Review, 41, 27-36.
Betts, S., & Healy, W. (2015). Having a Ball Catching on to Teamwork: An Experiential Learning Approach to Teaching the Phases of Group Development. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 19(2), 1.
Ceschi, A., Dorofeeva, K., & Sartori, R. (2014). Studying teamwork and team climate by using a business simulation: how communication and innovation can improve group learning and decision-making performance. European Journal of Training and Development, 38(3), 211-230.
Cook, K. C., & Grant-Davie, K. (2016). Online education 2.0: Evolving, adapting, and reinventing online technical communication. Routledge.
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Gren, L., & Goldman, A. (2016). Trying to Increase the Mature Use of Agile Practices by Group Development Psychology Training—An Experiment. In 4th International Workshop on Quantitative Approaches to Software Quality(p. 3).
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Kang, J. I., Groleau, M., Dotigny, F., Giguère, H., & Vaucher, E. (2014). Visual training paired with electrical stimulation of the basal forebrain improves orientation-selective visual acuity in the rat. Brain Structure and Function, 219(4), 1493-1507.
Levi, D. (2015). Group dynamics for teams. Sage Publications.
Perrin, A. (2015). Social media usage. Pew Research Center.
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Treweek, S., Oxman, A. D., Alderson, P., Bossuyt, P. M., Brandt, L., Bro?ek, J., … & Liberati, A. (2013). Developing and evaluating communication strategies to support informed decisions and practice based on evidence (DECIDE): protocol and preliminary results. Implementation Science, 8(1), 6.
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