CRITICAL THINKING TO REACH THE BEST DECISIONS
with Dr. John Austin
August 13, 2020, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
$475 (US) per person
Springfield Country Club
400 West Sproul Rd., Springfield, PA 19064
(610) 690-7600

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Book by Dr. John Austin
Book by Dr. John Austin

CRITICAL THINKING TO REACH THE BEST DECISIONS

 
High quality decisions have always been essential for strong business performance. Yet with the increasing speed, complexity and data availability in today's competitive environment, superior decision skills are more important than ever. This workshop will help you improve your decision making skills by offering behavioral insights into how people actually think and make decisions. It then teaches the advanced critical thinking skills and creative strategies needed to manage unfamiliar, highly complex problems or decisions that involve significant uncertainty. It offers strategies on how managers and executives can deal more effectively with ambiguous information, loosely structured problems, deep uncertainty, and complex tradeoffs. The focus is on critical thinking, breakthrough problem solving, learning and the effective use of groups.
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This was an excellent seminar! So interesting and very applicable to my everyday job requirements. So often our traps or biases are blind spots for us - we're subjective to them. This is a great way to help us become more objective & move these blind spots into clearer view.
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DR. JOHN AUSTIN

 

Dr. Austin is the P.D. Merrill Endowed Chair of Business. Prior to joining University of New England, Dr. Austin was a professor in the School of Leadership Studies at Fielding Graduate University. He has also worked as a Principal at Decision Strategies International and a management professor at Penn State University and The University of Washington, Bothell. He has taught executives at Duke CE, Georgetown University, Penn State University, Thunderbird School of International Management, University of North Carolina, and The Wharton School.

John has worked with numerous Global Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations as an executive development resource and is a frequent conference speaker. He has developed leaders and led long-term projects in the areas of change management, scenario planning, team performance, strategic decision-making, and strategy execution. His experience with individuals at all levels of organizations enables him to translate broad strategies and concepts into actionable, engaging programs.

Dr. Austin's research has been published in leading management and applied psychology journals such as Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, Journal of Applied Psychology, and Organization Science as well as practice-oriented publications including HR Magazine, Fast Company, and The OD Practitioner.


WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

 
  • To identify and correct for the cognitive limitations that hinder experienced decision makers
  • How to ask the right questions and prioritize strategic choices
  • A common language to help co-workers and clients avoid decision biases
  • How to identify and harness expertise of group members
  • Effective ways to build flexibility into decisions through systematic situational assessments


TOPICS COVERED

 

Solving the right problem

  • Mindful decision definition
  • Questioning organization assumptions

Avoiding decision traps

  • Overconfidence and confirmation
  • The value and risk of stories

Managing uncertainty and becoming a better forecaster

  • Knowing what we don't know: Seeing uncertainties
  • Keys to becoming a better forecaster
  • Linking insights and actions

Effectively using your team to improve decisions

  • 4 leadership pillars for diagnosing team dysfunction
  • Expertise as a tool for rapid task allocation and team development
  • Building decision capabilities

: Sustaining a decision

  • Generating ownership
  • Quick situational assessments

GUIDE TO PARTICIPANT SELECTION

 
Senior Leaders
PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE
Mid-Level-Leaders
PRIMARY TARGET AUDIENCE
Emerging Leaders and Functional Experts
APPLICABLE IF IT MATCHES A DEVELOPMENT NEED


Program Level: Beginner/Intermediate
Delivery Method: Group Internet Based (Zoom platform)
Prerequisites: None
Advanced Preparation: None
Participants will earn 3 CPE credits or 3 PDC credits
Field of Study: Personal Development
 
PLEASE NOTE: All virtual programs are held using the Zoom web application. If you do not have Zoom, or if it is not approved for use in your organization, you can log in using your personal device (tablet or phone). If you would like to test Zoom to be sure it is working on your computer or portable device, you can do so by going to: https://zoom.us/test.
If your organization needs information for whitelisting Zoom you can find it by clicking here.
For more information regarding refund, complaint and program cancellation policies click here, or contact our corporate office at 775.322.8222. You may also view our NASBA Statement here.