Decision Making,

Problem Solving
and
Conflict Management

KS402DE02/KS402DV02 – MANAGERIAL
SKILLS AND LEADERSHIP IN
HOSPITALITY
 GROUP

Handouts - Breakfast Organization and Service

YOUR
 The food is served cold
Non respect of service time (delivery too early or too
late)
Mistakes in orders
Noisy food service elevator

DEFINE THE PROBLEMS OF YOUR

HOTEL
GROUP

Vs.
 Vs.

 Is a Method  Is a Process
 Analyzing a Problem  Choosing an Option

 Creating a plan of action  Making a choice among

alternatives
 Asking questions why &  Asking questions who,
how what, where & when
 DECISION MAKING?
In its simplest sense, decision-making is the act
of choosing between two or more courses of
action for the purpose of attaining a goal or
goals .
 PROBLEM SOLVING
Is using a logical process to identify
causes and solutions to problems or to
make decisions.
 A leader’s decision

●
should be a conscious choice (well considered
choice) among alternative courses of action
directed toward a specific purpose

ELEMENTS IN A MANAGERIAL DECISION

 3 key phrases

that describe 3 essential elements in the decision-making process

●
1. a choice among alternatives
●
2. a specific purpose
●
3. a course of action

Decision making process

 Complicated decisions
Easy decisions
What supplies Hiring and firing,
to order
Delegating,
Number of portions to
prepare, Making changes in the work environment
Introducing
Weekly schedule a new menu
assignments
Redecorating a dining room,
Assigning rooms to be made up
Changing work procedures

KINDS OF DECISIONS
 DEVEL DECIDE
DEFINE ANALY OP THE
A ZE A ATERNA ACTIO FOLLO
TIVE
BEST
PROBLE PROBLE N W UP
M M SOLUTI SOLUTI
ONS ON

03/20/2021 SỐNG TỬ TẾ, HỌC ĐÀNG HOÀNG, KẾT NỐI NĂM CHÂU 38
 The first step

●
State the problem precisely and to formulate your objectives: what
you want to happen as a result of your decision.
●
Use the worksheet to develop your decisions

① DEFINING THE PROBLEM

 The next step is

●
to assemble the relevant data, but don’t overdo it: Keep
the goal clear.

Don’t confuse yourself with too many

facts
●
Because it is easy to tell people more than they need to
know, yourself included.

② ANALYZING THE PROBLEM

 The easiest way to organize the
fact finding is

●
to go through the who–what– when–where–
how–why routine.
●
Next you analyze the data you have gathered.

2- ANALYZING THE PROBLEM

 Your next step is

●
to develop as many alternatives as you can when you have all
the facts

③ DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

 The first stage should be uninhibited
brainstorming:

●
You give free rein to your imagination
●
Put down every possibility that you can think of
without regard to its drawbacks or limitations.

3- DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

 The next step of this stage is

●
to weigh the pros and cons  rank your alternatives
●
When you are making a very important decision with
momentous consequences and you have plenty of time,
you will rank all alternatives carefully.

3- DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

 The final step:

●
But if you have several feasible alternatives and limited decision time,
●
you should pick out the top three or four alternatives and rank them.
●
But don’t throw the others out; you may have to come back to them.

3- DEVELOPING ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS

④ DECIDING ON THE BEST SOLUTION
 HOW to decide the best SOLUTION

●
Before making any decision of consequence, the decision maker should test the top-rated
alternatives by asking 5 questions:
●
1. Risk.
●
2. Economy.
●
3. Feasibility.
●
4. Acceptability.
●
5. Objectives.

4- DECIDING ON THE BEST SOLUTION

 1. Risk.

●
Which course of action provides the most benefit with the least
risk?

2. Economy.

●
Which course of action will give the best results with the least
expenditure of time, money, & effort?

4- DECIDING ON THE BEST SOLUTION

 3. Feasibility

●
Is each course of action feasible?
●
Do you have the People & Resources to carry it out?

4- DECIDING ON THE BEST SOLUTION

 4. Acceptability

●
Will each course of action be acceptable to the people it will affect?

5. Objectives

●
Which course of action meets your objectives best?

4- DECIDING ON THE BEST SOLUTION

⑤ACTION
 The next step in decision making is

●
To hand the decision over to the people who will carry it out.
●
At this point good communication is the key to success.
●
The people who will carry out the decision must fully understand it,
●
Everyone affected must be informed.

5 - ACTION
⑥ FOLLOW-UP
 The last step in decision making is to
follow up

●
Keep tabs on how things are going.
●
If problems develop, you can catch them early or even fall
back on another alternative.
●
If questions arise, you can answer them.

6 - FOLLOW-UP
 a chance to evaluate your decision
making.

●
Is everything working out?
●
Did you think of everything?
●
Could you have done a better job in the time you had?
●
Should you have given it more time?
●
What have you learned from this decision?
●
 Such a review will help you develop skills & confidence

6 - FOLLOW-UP
Some important decision - making skills
include:
make sure the decision is yours to make,
face decisions promptly,
sort out the important decisions from the
inconsequential ones,
calculate the risks,
think about timing,
be alert to signs of problems,
keep an open mind when investigating a
problem,
consult your supervisor when necessary,
learn from your decisions,
and follow up on your decisions.
 Causes of conflict
Competition for resources

Task interdependence

Jurisdictional ambiguity

Status struggles

Communication barriers

Differences in values & beliefs

 Conflict-management skills
1. Listening skills

2. Feedback skills

3. Conflict-management styles

4. Be selective about the conflicts you get involved in

5. Evaluate the participants in a conflict

6. Assess the source of the conflict

7. Know your conflict-management options & select the best one

Conflict management strategies
AS
SE
RTI HIGH
VE Competitiveness Collaboration
NE _Win - Lose _Win - Win
SS

Compromise
_ No Win – No Lose

Avoidance Accommodation
_ Lose - Lose _ Lose - Win
LOW
LOW COOPERATIVENESS HIGH
 COLLABORATION_WIN-
WIN
“The Problem Solver”
Is to find a creative solution acceptable to everyone;

Assertive and cooperative;

Objectively evaluates different views;

not appropriate to all conflicts due to this require a

significant time commitment.
 COMPETITIVENESS_WIN-
LOSE
“The Player”
operates as a zero-sum game, in which one side wins
and other loses;
based on power;
very aggressive and uncooperative;
 works best in a limited number of conflicts, such as
emergency situations.
 AVOIDANCE_LOSE-LOSE
“The Escapist”
seeks to put off conflict indefinitely;

by delaying or ignoring the conflict, the avoider hopes the

problem resolves itself without a confrontation;

have low esteem or hold a position of low power;

works best in a situation when tempers are flaring or when

strong anger is present.
 ACCOMODATION_LOSE-
WIN
“The Peacemaker”
is giving the opposing side what it wants

occurs when one of the parties wishes to keep the peace

or perceives the issue as minor;

suppresses and smooths over differences

maintains harmony.
 COMPROMISE_NO WIN-NO LOSE
“The Trader”
typically calls for both sides of a conflict to give up elements of
their position in order to establish an acceptable, if not
agreeable, solution;

 prevails most often in conflicts where the parties hold

approximately equivalent power;

may be offered as a temporary solution until more options

become available.
 References

Woods R.H. and King J.Z. (2010), Leadership and Management in the Hospitality
industry (3rd ed.), American Hotel and Lodging Association.
Lussier R.N. and Achua C.F. (2010). Leadership: Theory, Application and Skill
Development (4th ed.), Thompson Corporation.

 
Homework
Review for your final test