Every suoervisor brings a unique personality, varied experiences and a variety of training to the decision making process. Some supervisors are risk takers some value certainty. others are logical and rational. All supervisors are called on to make decisions and choices which require carefuk thought and information, supervisors need to understand how too that mau go about this process and the basic tendecies affect the process. Toby lyman has been hired as a supervisor in new service department of a medium sized call center. The department us responsible for assisting existing customers in using new services in a telecommunications call center. The other departments transfer calls to this department to alert customers to new services the call center has high expectations for the results of this departments Toby’s background is in sales and customer service at retail companies where she has also developed good problem solving skills. Amanger in a retail company where Toby worked is now a director and tobys boss at the call center. In the new services department Toby is one of four supervisors each of who have four to six associates to supervise. Two of the supervisors have ten years with the call center and five years as supervisors in the department. The other supervisor was recently transferred to this department from another department where she was a supervisor. At this meeting in which Toby accepted the position her new boss said your sales background will help shake up our department and get people thinking in new ways On the first day at the call center one of the other supervisors welcomed toby by saying glad to have you well take it easy on you until you understand how we do things around here. The new job is under way and there are decisions to make about people transfers, workings hours, vacation coverage, customer handling and website revisions. Toby us tern between desire to fit in and another to recommend actions that she suspects would work better in the call center. She knows that one path ( fitting in) is a conservative and has little risk. The alternative recommending changes might be the kind of action that makes her stand out.

1. In her new job How might toby make use of the knowledge she has about decision making styles.

2. How would toby benefit by examine the styles of her boss and those of the other supervisors?

3. In a popular tc show the apprentice we see a particular style of decision making. Identify other public personalities by their decision making styles