Reference no: EM133024396

Situation:

In a sweeping initiative to curb pollutants blamed for global warming, the government unveiled a plan aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by nearly a third by 2030. This is an attempt to deal with climate change and hopefully will prod other countries to act accordingly.

The proposal sets off a complex regulatory process, steeped in politics, in which the 50 states will each determine how to meet customized targets set by the Environmental Protection Agency, then submit those plans to approval.

As a new manager for a power plant with a history of already working towards accomplishing this goal, you have been given the task of identifying and choosing alternative courses of action for this complex decision-making process which will then be submitted in the plan. This will require some critical thinking.

We are not always rational decision-makers. We sometimes settle for satisfying, choosing an option that is acceptable without searching any more. It's important that you be aware of your biases, review past work, get rapid feedback, encourage effective group dynamics, and tap into unbiased experts.

Armed with all of this information consider the following as you write how you would approach this situation:

Frame the problem. Language matters.

• Is this viewed as an opportunity or a threat? As an opportunity, you may look for more and different ideas and solutions.

 Pooled Decisions:

• What groups both internal and possibly external would you include in this process and why? How could these decisions affect both the company and the local environment?

Value judgments happen because people have differing backgrounds, perceptions, aspirations, and values which may cause disagreements.

• What are some options you could use so that all ideas are valued whether or not they are used?

 Obviously, there will be multiple criteria such as balancing conflicting interests. This can affect both internal and external groups.

• Do you have any suggestions on how these different groups can be approached? 

Uncertainty cannot be eliminated, but you need to work within an acceptable range of uncertainty. 

• What worked in the past?
• Will that process continue towards the goal?
• Be aware that mindsets can become outdated, so how might this be approached?

Creativity is important to the decision making process.

• How would you inspire creativity?

Groups: Discuss some potential advantages and disadvantages of using groups in this situation.