Otsustusprotsessi kommunikatsioon Eesti Kaubandus-Tööstuskoja näitel
Date
2007
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
Description
The purpose of this study was to bring forth the different factors that influence decision-
making process and the communication within that and using the factors map a
communication process of one Estonian Trade and Commerce Chamber’s decision.
Decisions are being divided to programmed and unprogrammed decisions as to the
extent they vary to be more complex and how often they occur. The more unusual and
complex the situation is, the more it is close to being totally unprogrammed decision
and the decision making is being given to topper management.
In order to organization could function, the information about decisions have to be
communicated to other units and levels in the organization. Accordingly to the level in
which the decision has been made, the information has to move either up or down or
both ways and to other units diagonally.
In order to analyze the differentiation within the communication, it is important to
divide the decision-making process into stages Paul Nutt distinguishes four stages
(establishing directions, identifying options, evaluation and implementation) and sub-
steps of each stage, which allows us to classify different alternatives of communication
that an organization has into his model.
People that are placed in situation where they have to make decisions, ought to choose a
level of which they involve others into the decision-making process (how much they
provide the information, how much they want and consider the feedback they get and
how much they need additional information from their participating members. Vroom’s
five-scale model demonstrates how a leader may implement different styles that vary on the level of which they use participation (and accordance with that communicational
ways they use) in decision-making process. In each stage of decision-making process
the participative extent and communication can differ and it makes again important to
research each stages separately.
In this paper one Estonian Trade and Commerce Chamber’s decision, to unite three
departments into one, that would provide different services to the clients and moving
different departments close to each other, was analyzed. In order to map the decision-
making process five interviews, with different participants of the process, were
conducted and materials that were created in the process were analyzed.
The type of decision was unprogrammed, yet this kind of decision was previously
implemented in the organization but the scope of unprogrammed decision is more
connected with the experiences of decision-makers than with experiences of the
organization.
The decision-making process in Estonian Trade and Commerce Chamber could be
divided into two phases. The first of which was dealing with more strategic part of the
decision and the second was more related with the working order in the new
department. In the first phase only few people were involved in the decision-making
stages and the influence of the leader was quite strong. In the second phase more
employees were allowed and encouraged to participate.
Different stages of decision-making process were not followed linearly, some stages
had to be repeated and returned to after the first time. In each stage different tactics
were used, even in those that had to be repeated. That implicates that organization chose
the tactics according to the situation.
Communication in the decision-making process was mainly informal, as it is in that
organization in general. It can be concluded that communication process of different
decisions is more influenced by the organizational communication culture than by the
type of decision or the stage of the decision-making process. Unbalanced importance of
informal communication in the process studied, was the reason why process became very emotional and difficult. It can be said that he more emotional a stage of decision-
making process was the more communication channels were used.
Keywords
H Social Sciences (General), bakalaureusetööd, suhtekorraldus, organisatsioonid, kommunikatsioon, organisatsioonikommunikatsioon, otsustamine, kommunikatsioonijuhtimine, protsessijuhtimine, Eesti Kaubandus-Tööstuskoda