Question

Determine and describe ten best practices for brainstorming and making good decisions. Support your best practices with Internet research and your personal experience.

Answer 1

Here are the ten best practices for brainstorming and making good decisions.

1. The first type is exploratory research: It is often done through observations and adopting methods like interviews or surveys. It helps to get the initial research for the information and gives an idea about the decision to be taken.  
2. The second practice is to do the explanatory type of research: This is based on the cause-effect relationship of the research. This is deductive in nature as compared to exploratory research and helps to simplify the information gained in the first stage. It gives an idea to understand the relationship between various dimensions of a problem.
3. Third research type that must be done is the descriptive research which can support both explanatory and exploratory studies. This covers a more detailed aspect and helps to further expand the preliminary research. It helps to brainstorm and take better decisions.
4. Another practice is that the business or individual identifies many alternatives and solutions for the problem. The effectiveness will be determined if other alternatives don't offer a better solution.
5. The evidence needs to be carefully analysed & the feasibility must be weighed: The managers and leaders need to carefully analyse the decision. The impact of any decision must be properly analysed. It is an important practice for effective decisions.

In a personal example of taking the decision of increasing web presence for our company here is how the above practices helped me:

For a decision like an increased web presence, it is important to decide whether the firms want to invest in technical areas like increasing web traffic through paid advertisement. The wrong choice of alternatives can lead to bad communication and in long run, a business will lose its customer base. The decision to increase web presence can help the traditional communication to find the right target audience and this modification can also help in the personalisation of the message to the overall consumers of the product.  

Other five practices:

• Creating a solid plan of implementation/ moving to the actionable zone: The step of decision making is important as post analysis of pros & cons a decision must be selected and implemented.
• Reviewing the decision taken: It is important to review and further analyse the decision at regular intervals to improve the performance. The review helps to analyse what went right and what needs further modifications.
• Another great practice is to have fresh perspectives. Involving fresh blood in the process can help to bring outside ideas and helps in faster improvement. Use mentors, network and other sources to get perspectives and knowledge for the same.
• It is important to accommodate the different style and ideas of others. The environment of good decision making and brainstorming must allow free flow of ideas, constructive feedback and forward moving, solution-oriented communication on the table.
• Get out of the formal setting - Being in the same formal environment can limit creativity and bring complacency. It is important to find areas where open thinking can happen and an unfamiliar place brings greater participation and interest.

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