MODULE 5

Management of Information or Data and Research-based Decision-making

1. Information system management
2. Police decision making
3. Guides for quick or fast decision making

Information system management

● An integrated system of parts for gathering, storing, and processing data as well as for
delivering knowledge, information, and digital goods. Information systems are essential
for businesses and other organizations to run and manage operations, communicate
with clients and suppliers, and engage in market competition. Electronic markets and
interorganizational supply networks are managed by information systems.
Importance of information system management
● Because these systems operate with people, organizations, technology, and linkages
between the people and organizations that effect the firm, they are crucial to the day-
to-day operations of businesses.
● For instance, businesses utilize information systems to handle their financial accounts,
administer their human resources, and advertise online to potential clients. Information
systems are at the core of many large corporations.
Information in system
● Process - collects, process, stores, and disseminates information
● People - to help support decision making, coordination, control, analysis, and
visualization in an organization.
● Technology - hardware, software, and networks that support the business processes and
people.

Police decision making

● Police decision making is dynamic. Decisions unfold over time with information (often
incomplete) becoming known at different rates. The same type of decision may be made
multiple times, allowing for a police officer to base a future decision on past outcomes.
And decisions are made in uncertain and often changing environments. (Simon 1955)
Officer’s decision frames and response styles
● Several studies have examined three overarching response styles:
1) the tough law enforcer, who arrests serious criminals and rule violators
2) the negotiator, who emphasizes maintaining community peace and often uses
mediation and other informal methods to resolve disturbances
3) the rule follower, who bases arrest decisions on organizational policies or legal
statutes.
Schema theory
● suggests that officers have several possible guiding decision frames about how to
investigate incidents, what information is most critical, and what questions should be
 asked to arrive at a decision. The situational context and characteristics of the incident
determine which decision frame is given priority in a specific situation.
Two major decision frames
1. Normative frame- officers focus on who is responsible for the harm.
2. Efficiency frame- they focus on whether there is sufficient evidence to obtain a
conviction, the repercussions if they do not arrest, and the credibility of the witnesses.
Police decision on the use of force
● Police officers must choose whether and how much physical force to employ when
stopping civilians who are thought to be resisting or disobeying their lawful authority
when questioning possible criminals.
● Police departments receive much negative publicity when officers decide to use what
the public perceives as excessive force to restrain citizens or when officers incorrectly
perceive resistance and use weapons to force citizens to comply.
● Ex: in recent years, media reports have revealed incidents in which officers, using
batons, flashlights, and fists, have beaten citizens who are having seizures because they
incorrectly labeled the citizens’ actions as unresponsive and resistant. Officers also have
used inappropriate force when they misperceived mentally ill persons’ actions as
disrespectful and unresponsive to their legal authority.

Guides for quick or fast decision making

● Every startup's main competitive advantage is speed. We are aware that making
judgments fast and acting on them are essential to moving swiftly, but quick decisions
frequently receive a poor name.
The challenges of quick decision-making
● There are two major difficulties in improving our decision-making process. The first step
is deciding what data should be used as decision inputs, and the second is enhancing
how our judgments affect outcomes.
Start with these decision-making principles
● know your problem - Before deciding on the appropriate course of action, you must be
clear about the issue.
● Lots of small decisions are better than fewer large decisions - We make far too many
judgments that are overly huge or require excessive amounts of information before we
can act. Break big decisions into smaller, more manageable decisions or doable
experiments.
● Make a decision as early as possible - Utilize the decision-making process to revise and
enhance your choice.
● Continuously review your assumptions - look for your blind spots. A critical element of
an agile decision-making process is quick learning and course correction.
Six-stage decision-making process
Stage 1: Define the dilemma
● If the decision-maker has a good grasp of the motivation behind the choice—that is, if
the precise difficulty or problem is unclear or the intended result is not well understood
—progress may be delayed.
Stage 2: What is your “default decision”?
● Decide what you would pick if you had to make the choice right now second, without
taking into account any other information, after having a clear understanding of the
issue you are attempting to solve.
Failing to identify a default decision slows down decision-makers because:
● Before they can use the information effectively, they strive to obtain as much
information as they can. These extensive information-gathering procedures are
generally a waste of time and effort.
● They actively work to keep their own knowledge, judgment, and goals out of the
equation. Experience and skill are just as useful as facts and data at this point since the
decision-maker rarely starts from scratch or from basic principles.
Stage 3: Do you need more evidence?
● Research has a special function in the decision-making process by helping to find
significant options and eliminate ambiguity.
NOTE: “There is a risk of getting lost in time-consuming, detailed research that is interesting but
not specifically relevant”
Stage 4: Identify your decision choices
● At this point, it's typical to sluggish the process by making too many options or, worse
still, by making an effort to make every available decision. It's simple to believe that the
"ideal decision" is still available or that there are choices you could have overlooked. Of
course, it's conceivable, but if you've carefully considered the situation and done your
homework, it's improbable. Trust both yourself and the process.
Stage 5: Make the decision
● Choosing between your set of identified options is a case of risk versus reward.
● Even if you don't have a lot of faith in these possibilities, risks, and assumptions just yet,
it's crucial to document your knowledge at the time the choice was taken.
Stage 6: Review the decision
● The final stage of an effective, quick decision-making process is developing a
constructive, actionable feedback loop.
There are two important phases here.
● Review the outcome: Consider if you made this choice in a way that served your
objectives, resolved your issue, and produced the outcome you desired.
● Review the decision: Reviewing the decision independent of the outcome is the critical
learning point for improving decision-making skills.
Becoming a great decision-maker
● Rather of consistently relying on in-depth analysis and first principles, good decision-
makers move swiftly by relying on trends, indications, and their own experience.