After reading the chapter “Decision Making” from Principles of Management, I began to reflect on the different types of decisions I make in my everyday life. It was interesting to realize how many of my daily choices can be categorized as programmed decisions, those that are routine, repetitive, and follow a certain pattern. For example, each morning I decide what to wear based on the weather, which route I want to take when walking to class, and what I will have for dinner that evening. These decisions are made quickly and almost automatically because they are part of my regular routine. I never thought about them as “decisions” in the management sense, but this chapter helped me recognize how much structured thinking goes into even the simplest parts of our day.

In contrast, an example of a nonprogrammed decision I recently made was creating travel plans for a family trip coming up in December. My family and I will be spending a week in Colorado over Christmas, and we have been working together to decide what activities we want to do while we are there. This type of decision-making process involves more creativity and research. We’ve had to compare various ski resorts, restaurants, and other attractions to make sure we choose the best options that fit our budget and interests. Because there are so many alternatives, we’ve had to carefully evaluate the pros and cons of each choice.

Moving forward, I think it’s valuable to recognize the difference between programmed and nonprogrammed decisions. Understanding how and why we make different types of decisions can help us become more intentional, thoughtful, and effective in both our personal and professional lives.

Principles of Management. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2010.