How ineffective decision making and how it lead to conflict in both private and public sector

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Conflict is inevitable in any organization, however, because it can be both positive and negative, for such case management should not strive to eliminate all form of conflict but only that has disruptive effects on the organization effort to archive its goals. Some type or degree of conflict may prove beneficial if it to be used as an instrument for change or innovation. For any organization to perform effectively and independent individuals and group must establish working relationship across organizational boundaries (Chillyer, 2009).

The quality of decision making in any organization depends on the selection of proper goals and identifying means for archiving such goals with good integration of behavior and structure factors (Gibson et al, 2009). Because managers make the decision that affect the lives of the people and well being ethics play a major role. The challenge managers face illustrate how decision making can have potential influence on organizational effectiveness and such decision have dramatic impact on growth and prosperity of organization, employee, customers and stakeholders (Gareth & Jenifer , 2009).

1.1.2 Definition of key terms

Conflict refers to form of friction, disagreement, or discord arising within group or individuals (http://en.wikipedia/..conflict_(process).

Public sector refers to the part of the economy concerned with providing various government services (Barlow & Wright, 2010).

 Private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state (Haufler, 2013).

Authority is the function of position in organizational hierarchy, flowing from the top to the bottom of organization (Chillyer, 2009).

Decision making is the process by which managers respond to opportunities and threats by analyzing options and making determination about specific organizational goals and course of action (Jones & George, 2009).

2.1 How ineffective decision making and how it lead to conflict in public and private sector

Decision which is made by authority or managers in any organization may influence the effectiveness of the organization or reduce. Decision which is acceptable by the majority always gain positive implementation and improves performance not only of organization but also authority. On other side ineffective decision may lack support and acceptance and lead to conflict and antagonism. The following are the how ineffective decision making and how it lead to conflict in both private and public sector.

2.1.1 Inappropriate procedure in decision making

 Good decision involves systematic procedure or approach. The presence of decision that do not follow the appropriate procedure in private and public sector has been the major source of conflict in such sector. Managers should always search proper approach in better decision making so as to improve organizational performance instead of making decision that influence antagonisms,  at the same time they should do the best to avoid costly mistakes that hurt organizational performance. For example taking immediate decision without considering its outcomes may lead to disagreement among managers or the authority and employees (Gibson et al, 2009). Making decision have various procedures, among the best is recognizing the need for making decision, means people with authority should not wait until the problem become worse to make decision but early detection for need to make decision avoids unnecessary conflict, generating various alternative for the cause of action, means authority should come up with various alternative for decision making, assessing or evaluating the suggested alternatives, choosing the best alternative among suggested, implementing the selected alternative or decision making and then learn from the feedback or assessing the decision. With this procedure managers or authority can escape from making decision which is contradictory and conflicting.

2.1.2 Poor participatory decision making

Decisions which have been made in public and private sector to larger extent have lacked adequate participation by various stakeholders within or outside the organization or authority. For example authority in private and public have always introduced new plans, program or changes without involvement of their employees, as the result such program have been lacking support hence creating conflict in public and private organization. On other side authorities in public sectors have been always applying top down approach to serious matters concerning the community without inclusion of the targeted community in planning and decision making and hence conflict arise in the process of implementation due to poor participation or unacceptability. According to (Jones, 2009), considerable debate has taken place over relative effectiveness of individual versus group decision making. Group usually takes more time to reach a decision than individuals do, but bringing specialist and expert together has benefit. The mutual reinforcing effect of their interaction results in better decision which is acceptable by majority.

2.1.3 Lack of attention in information seeking and evaluation needed to make decision

Authorities that tends to make decision which have no adequate information are more likely to make unsound decision which always lead to conflict in public and private sector. For example a politician who is expected to go and solve the problem of land conflict between farmers and pastoralist without having adequate information about the nature of the problem he or she may end up bringing more complication to the existing problem. Further more authority in business enterprises can not make a decision of production without understanding reality of the market. A good example can be also drawn from a mediator, in order to come up with better resolution which will make no conflict or antagonism between authority and employee he or she must have adequate information on the nature of the problem. According to (Mayers, 1987) decision making involves information seeking and evaluation and not all information available to authority should be enough to make a decision but should be examined  and evaluated to see what will happen if the decision will be  made.

2.1.4 Absence of adherence to proper communication when making decisions

Communication means exchanging information and it can be used to inform, instruct, command, asses, influence and persuade other people (Chillyer, 2009). Lack or absence of good communication among authority in private and public sector has also been the major cause of conflict or grievances’ at work place. For example, authority may make the decision which affect employee well being like cutting down their salaries and without informing them at the end of the month they found that their salaries where cut this may read to conflict. But also a manager can receive a latter of complain from employee or client and instead of giving feedback he or she decide to remain silence, and this means those who wrote the latter will have no answers for their complains as the result to conflict. (Jones, 2009), advocate that effective communication before and after decision is very essential to effective authority in decision making as enhances communication between individuals, especially between managers and their subordinate.

2.1.5 Lack of consideration to organizational behavior and culture

Authorities in both public and private sectors currently are facing the problem of understanding the behavior and culture that guide individual within organization and the environment that surround the organization. Many conflicts happen because managers do not understand well their employee, and many conflicts arise between authority and community because of lack of understanding the community culture and behavior. Decisions that do not consider the ability, skills and situation are more likely to produce misunderstanding and conflict. (Gibson et al, 2009) address that, human behavior is too complex to be explained by generalization, manager’s observation and analysis of individual behavior and performance requires consideration of variables that directly influence individual behavior. In order authority to avoid the cost of mistake when making decision should critically consider the fit between the decision and individual ability to perform the tasks effectively as well as the link between decision and community background and culture (Rue, 2009).

2.1.6 Insufficient power within the authorities

Inadequate of power may also be the factor for the alarming conflict in both private and public sectors due to fact that, some time the managers and other supervisory within authority lacks adequate expertise on the assigned duties that are within organization hence they end up making conflicting decision. For example assigning a person as the minister of health while he or she is not a specialist on health he or she may end up legalizing abortion without knowing is impact, and this may bring conflict not only among health specialist but also to community. A good authority should comprise individuals who have various source of power as well as creative and innovative. For example, aside from having reward, coercive and legal power managers’ should have expert power because it is essential for decision making (Jones & George, 2009).

2.1.7 Unethical decision making

Ethics is the system or code that guide individuals conduct in terms of decision making; it helps individuals to evaluate different alternatives to a problem in terms of wrong or right. Some time authority in public and private sector makes the decision that is unethical and hence to conflict and inefficiency at work or for the decision that have been made. Gibson et al, 2009, advocate that, employees and managers often face decision that have ethical implication, in extreme situations, managerial decision can have implication of life or death for fellow employees, customers, or citizen. On day to day bases unethical decision and behavior from employees, co-workers, and supervisor can lead to distrust, conflict and less productive. For example telling people to shift from their area of resident because of expanding economic investments without giving them alternative settlement that is unethical but also forcing people to produce toxic substance while continuing hampering their health it’s considered to be unethical decision.

2.1.8 Failure to reflect environmental and technological changes

Authority that do not recognize the environmental changes and technological advancement are more likely to face problem in decision making hence leading to conflict in working place. for example, we expect the government and private organization to increase salaries as the cost of goods and services rise so as to balance earnings and the consumption. But also as the traffic jams increases in big cities, authority should make the decision that will reflect the reality of situation like reporting time and departure time at work so as not bringing conflict with employees in terms of coming late at work.

3.1 Recommendations

The working personnel in both private and public sectors should make some sort of follow-up in all categories of good managerial skills as well as being good in organizing, controlling, planning and leading so that to reduce the conflicts that are always happening in the working environments, further more all managers and other supervisory organs should make sure that  they follows all the procedures in making decisions, ensures communication follows upon the right truck so that to make easy accessing of information’s to both staff and the people who are under control of such staff hence in other ways organizational behavior should be adopted by all leaders within an organizational code of conduct.

4.1 Conclusion;

Although conflict in any organization is inevitable, conflict should not be entertained as it may end up reducing the effectiveness of the organization and only those conflicts which happen due to serious arising issues proper ways of resolving should be applied. In serious need to avoid unnecessary conflict in both private and public sector, adherence to effective decision making is unexceptional. There for we encourage people in authority to understand better approaches of decision making, like having adequate information and evaluating before making decision, understanding the structure, behavior and culture of its members, making participatory approach when making decision, understanding the need for ethics in decision making as well as the changes that occur in every day life.

                                              

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Haufler, Virginia (2013). A Public Role for the Private Sector. USA: West press Inc

Leslie W. Rue & Lloyd L. Byars (2009). Management Skills and Application. New York:

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Internet source: Definition of decision making. Retrieved on 02/April/2014 from (http://en.wikipedia/..conflict_(process)

AUSI R. CHIWAMBO (Editor, 2014)-(TEOFILO KISANJI UNIVERSITY)