Question

The course textbook identifies four individual decision-making styles: individualist, altruist, pragmatist, and idealist. Each member of the group will take on the characteristics of one of the four decision-making styles and explain how that style would affect the way he or she would communicate, negotiate, and apply this to interpersonal situations. If your group has more than four members, a decision-making style may be repeated. Once the individualist, the altruist, the pragmatist, and the idealist have all submitted their posts, compare the decision-making styles of the others with your own. Where are your styles complementary, and in what ways do your styles differ? How would you approach working together to make an ethical decision? What strengths and weaknesses of each style should be considered during the decision-making process?

Decision-making style chose: Individualist

Answer 1

I have chosen pragmatist to study in the decision-making style analysis, this is a style I somewhat relate with. Pragmatist decision making style is described as someone guided based on practicality and focuses to complete a task from a logistic standpoint. Pragmatic leaders can be seen as a negative quality because their approach whereas they tend to see the big picture and not the small problem. The pragmatist’s bases for moral authority and motivation are the perceived needs of the moment and the potential consequence of a decision in a specific context . From an ethical perspective, pragmatist leaders will analyses facts and situational information to determine their actions and may abandon principles and values to achieve the determined outcome.

Enlightened self-interest is a value that characterizes progressivist. The decision making style of a pragmatist is to communicate in a direct form as to clearly depict the solution. This individual style is great for negotiating because of their ability to see the overall picture and calculate the steps of achieving success. These types of leaders tend to convey their ideas in a direct way that is easily understood thus creating a platform for negotiation. Pragmatist tend not to fight for a win, but instead work with other to find the best solution. Pragmatist are essential for building a strong team and together with individualist, altruist, and idealist are capable of creating the best outputs so as long as the leader and team are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each decision making style.

Applying the pragmatist decision making style to an interpersonal situation, I would first preface that I am a mix of all styles and closely relate most with pragmatic due to the characteristic of my career. In my line of work I am responsible for reviewing commercial civil plans and verifying the site details meet the local zoning ordinance. I staff a monthly meeting where several departments come together to review commercial projects with the designers and contractors. The nature of my job is to basically identify everything that wrong with their plans. I tend to be direct, detail oriented, and my solutions are typically costly to the developer. I have learned that when see the vision of a developer I will create a solution to any problem of the project regardless of cost, time, or impact. From an ethical perspective every project should be treated equal, however some projects are easier than others and I have noticed the pragmatic approach is commonly seen in the review stages of projects that tend to be more complicated. All in all, my problem solving skills from a logical perspective help me as part of a team and as a leader in my career field.