Description

Leaders and Managers want quick answers, quick ways to reach solutions, ways and means to access knowledge that won’t eat into their precious time and quick ideas that deliver a big result.  The Little Book of Big Decision Models cuts through all the noise and gives managers access to the very best decision-making models that they need to to keep things moving forward. Every model is quick and easy to read and delivers the essential information and know-how quickly, efficiently and memorably.

Table of Contents

About the author

Acknowledgements

Introduction

How to get the most out of this book

Chapter 1 - The principles of decision making

Introduction

Model 1: Townsend’s rules of decision making

Model 2: The McNamara fallacy - The vital information that decision makers ignore

Model 3: Using quantitative (hard) and qualitative (soft) data in decision making

Model 4: Kreiner and Christensen the consequence model

Model 5: Tenenbaum and Schmid’s decision making spectrum

Model 6: Roger and Blenko’s rapid decision making model

Model 7: Cognitive mapping - understanding how your colleagues think

Model 8: Tacit knowledge and decision making

Model 9: The standard decision making model

Conclusion

Chapter 2 - Using data in decision making

Introduction

Model 10: The Pareto principle and the important vital few

Model 11: Lewin’s force field analysis of the support and opposition to a decision

Model 12: Scenario analysis and charting possible futures

Model 13: Delphic forecasting and how to firm up predictions

Model 14: Johnson, Scholes and Wittingham mapping stakeholder’s reactions

Model 15: Egan’s shadow side model - dealing with the politics of decisions

Model 16: The SCAMPER model and finding creative solutions

Model 17: De Bono’s six thinking hats - generating different perspectives

Conclusions

Chapter 3 - Enhancing your decision making skills

Intrduction

Model 18: The Eisenhower principle and the delegation of decisions

Model 19: The feedback and criticism grid

Model 20: Learning to think outside the box

Model 21: Goleman: Using emotional intelligence to make better decisions

Model 22: Sumantra and Bruch reclaiming your job

Conclusion

Chapter 4 - Decisions models about you

Introduction

Model 23: Christensen’s strategy for a happy life

Model 24: The making – of you model and how your past influences the present

Model 25: The rubber band model - what holds you back and pulls you forward?

Model 26: The crossroads model and which road to follow next

Model 27: The personal performance model and job satisfaction

Model 28: Csikzenmihalyi’s flow model and the joy of working in ‘the zone’

Model 29: Maslow’s Pyramids - what you want and what you need

Model 30: The Euffe Elbaek model - a guide to your personality

Model 31: Johari windows - a guide to your personality

Model 32: The personal potential trap and how to avoid becoming a prisoner of other peoples’ expectations

Model 33: Your attitude to risk

Conclusion

Chapter 5 - Decision Models about other people

Introduction

Model 34: Goffee and Jones - why should anyone be led by you?

Model 35: Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership model

Model 36: Manzoni and Barsoux - how managers set staff up to fail

Model 37: Denseraeu, Graen and Haga - how managers set staff up to succeed

Model 38: Herzberg’s motivation and hygiene theory - choosing the right carrots

Model 39: The feedback sandwich - delivering negative feedback

Model 40: McGregor’s features of effective and ineffective teams

Model 41: The team model - building a well balanced team

Conclusion

Chapter 6 - Strategic and market decision models

Introduction

Model 42: The standard product life cycle

Model 43: The gap in the market model

Model 44: The hype cycle market model

Model 45: The long tale market model

Model 46: The diffusion market model

Model 47: Milgram’s six degrees of separation model

Model 48: Kim and Mauborgne’s blue ocean strategy

Model 49: Offshoring core activities

Model 50: Moore’s headpin theory

Model 51: The Boston Consulting Group product analysis grid

Conclusion

Chapter 7 - Organisational threat analysis

Introduction 

Model 52: SWOT - Done right!

Model 53: PEST - Done right!

Model 54: The unexploded bomb (UXB) model - unknown and unforeseen threats

Model 55: Nicholas and Teleb’s black swan model and unknowable threats

Model 56: The black box model

Conclusion

Chapter 8 - Financial and statistical models

Introduction

Model 57: Risk reward analysis

Model 58: Kaplan and Norton balanced scorecard

Model 59: Discounted cashflow (DCF) - Calculating today’s value of tomorrows returns

Model 60: Cost benefit analysis - Accounting for non-financial factors

Model 61: Breakeven analysis - knowing if you can reduce prices

Model 62: Gap analysis - closing the gap between forecast and target

Model 63: Zero based budgeting - making the right budget cuts

Conclusion

Chapter 9 - How to successfully implement your decisions

Introduction

Model 64: Round’s TRAP model

Model 65: Johnson’s three rules of project management

Model 66: Shewhart’s plan, do, check, act (PDCA) implementation model  

Model 67: Orlandella and Reason’s Swiss cheese model and how to stop problems escalating

Model 68: Setting SMART targets that get results

Model 69: Kim and Mauborgne’s tipping point leadership - How to sidestep/overcome implementation problems

Model 70: Cooperrider and Srivastva’s appreciative inquiry model (A1) and the power of positivity

Personal characteristic and how they can produce good and bad decisions

The First 11 Team

A Final Word

Recommended reading

Back Cover

70 decision-making models to help you make the right choice.

As a busy manager, you need to make daily decisions fast. The Little Book of Big Decision Models gives you access to the very best models that every manager should know and be able to use to make better decisions that get results.

Each model tells you what it is and how to use it so you can instantly put theory into practice and start making great decisions.

The Little Book of Big Decision Models will help make sure you can:

·   Discover the most effective decision-making models that the best in the business use to get things done

·   Resolve a wide range of practical management problems quickly and effectively by taking decisive action

·   Improve your understanding of the environment in which you and your organisation make decisions

·   Find out about some of the best - and worst - decisions made in management history

·   Be a more effective manager and prepare yourself for promotion

All you need to know and how to apply it – in a nutshell.