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Barriers to Decision Making
Management Textbooks Boundless Management Decision Making Barriers to Decision Making
Management Textbooks Boundless Management Decision Making
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Management
Concept Version 9
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Time Pressure as a Barrier to Decision Making

Time pressure forces decision makers to shift from logical processes (ideal) to intuitive processes (sub-ideal).

Learning Objective

  • Explain the way in which time pressure can influence decision making


Key Points

    • Time pressure can distort decision-making processes and individual judgment and make them less objective and more influenced by intuition.
    • Heuristics, or mental shortcuts, can deliver workable decisions under time pressure and in the absence of logical decision-making processes.
    • Decision makers who feel as though they have ample time tend to arrive at more logically crafted, higher quality decisions than those who felt as though they had insufficient amounts of time, even if confronted by similar time pressure in real terms.
    • While generally considered a barrier to decision making, time pressures may also have the opposite effect in terms of creating organizational motivation to render decisions and move on. In this way time pressure, real or perceived, may act as a deadline and encourage organizational dexterity.

Term

  • heuristic

    A "shortcut" method of problem solving that makes assumptions based on past experiences. Examples include going by "rule of thumb," when you apply your experience of something having happened a certain way enough times that it's likely to continue happening that way. It is not guaranteed to be accurate every single time, but it cuts out processing time by avoiding detailed analysis of every particular situation.


Full Text

Just as individual characteristics and cognitive biases can shape decision making, time pressure can also distort how we consider and choose between alternatives. Severe time constraints can make decision processes and individual judgment less objective and more influenced by intuition as more formal and rigorous approaches are ignored. All decisions are time-bound in the sense that we do not have an infinite amount of time to make a selection. Still, firm and proximate deadlines and limited resources are common causes of time pressure. Information overload is another. While considering all relevant factors is important to build support for the decision, data collection can eat up time better spent analyzing alternatives and making the decision itself.

There are some effective approaches to dealing with time pressure. Clearly defining the decision and its parameters early on can reduce ambiguity and make it easier to hone in on relevant data. Setting clear boundaries on matters such as who will participate and how long discussions will continue can similarly manage the amount of time given to a decision. In many instances, the use of heuristics can be applied to complex decisions to serve as shortcuts in conducting analysis and weighing alternatives.

Time pressure

Time pressure often forces decision makers to look for intuitive shortcuts rather than logically processing all of the required data.

There is evidence that suggests the perception of time pressure may impact decision quality. Decision makers who believe they have ample time to make a decision tend to arrive at more logically crafted decisions than those who feel as though they have an insufficient amount of time. While time pressure is generally perceived as being a barrier to effective decision making, it may also have the exact opposite effect. A limited time frame can focus mental energy and effort to bring the appropriate resources to bear on a decision more quickly and efficiently than otherwise might have been the case.

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