Perception and Decision Making
Kelly Valentine
MGT 340
Axia College
Janice Kurth
September 16, 2006
Introduction
In business, what is the biggest reason there is conflict? The answer is perception and its effect on the decision making process. Many managers jump into a situation without knowing all the facts. All they have is their perceived view of what is happening, and depending on how well that manager is at perceiving the situation, his or her reaction can make the situation worse. Perception, like many other managerial skills, is a learned reaction process and can be developed over time. It is how the manager handles their perception that will determine how effective he or she is as a manager.
Perception
Perception is one of the oldest fields within scientific psychology, and there are correspondingly many theories about its underlying processes. In psychology, perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing. Methods of studying perception range from essentially biological or physical approaches, through psychological approaches to the often abstract use of mental philosophy. Perception in business can relate to how a customer, manager, owner, or corporation views what is happening within a certain team or company. How the activity is perceived is often what causes the reaction and how the situation is handled. This is not necessarily the correct way of handling the situation. A manager of any size business must look at all aspects and perceptions of a situation before reacting upon his or her initial reaction.
Perception can easily effect your decision making process. When you are coming into a situation, as a manager or othe ...