how does one prepare to solve the questions in the decision making section in XAT?

Decision Making has been one of the most integral part in the XAT question paper. This section requires the selection of course of action from among five possible alternatives in order to arrive at solution for a given problem. The quality and speed of your decision making will decide your success or failure in this exam . Remember this section is designed to test a candidate’s:

a)courage

b)creativity

c)rational thought process

d)balanced judgment

e)ethics

This sections tests you on :

a)Ethical or moral dilemma

b)Behavioral decision making

c)Managerial decision making

d)Policy level decisions

e)Data based questions

Here is how your approach should be when it comes to making a decision :

First and foremost ,you should always and try to find the main cause of the problem discussed in the case study. Remember , the case study may not always look for the solution of the problem discussed in the case study, therefore , read the question carefully and then scrutinize the given options and choose the most appropriate one.

How to approach ethical dilemma?

An ethical dilemma is a problem in the decision making process between five given options ,neither of which is absolutely acceptable from an ethical perspective. Ethical dilemmas are extremely complicated challenges that cannot be easily solved. The biggest challenge of an ethical dilemma is that it does not offer an obvious solution that would comply with ethics and norms. You can use the following approaches to solve an ethical dilemma case study:

a)refute the paradox(dilemma): the situation must be carefully analyzed. in some case studies, the existence of the dilemma can be logically dismissed.

b)value theory approach: choose the option that offers the greater good or the lesser evil.

c)adhere to the code of conduct: make sure you adhere to the code of conducts and ethical standards. Violation of the standards may lead to disciplinary sanctions.

Look carefully and see at what managerial position you are supposed to take when picking an option. Eg-you can be a marketing salesperson, HR person , an employee or you can also be someone from the highest echelon of the organization .why is this important, because based on the role you have been assigned you may have certain limitations while making a decision. Eg- if you are simply a manager of a department you cannot simply fire someone for a basic misconduct and if you are the boss of the organization you are supposed to think from a long term perspective.
If you are supposed to make decisions from the senior leadership position then make sure you balance your emotion with reason and make decision that positively impacts your organization, your customers,your employees and all your shareholders and stakeholders. Making good decisions in difficult situations in no small feat because these types of decision involve change, uncertainty, anxiety, stress and sometimes the unfavorable reactions of others. But that does not mean you should be stressed and anxious rather be level-headed and pick an option that best serve your organization’s purpose.

Avoid going for options that are extremely harsh and too dramatic unless it is absolutely necessary. How to you check if it is absolutely necessary , try to find some evidence in the case study and if you feel like it is the matter of life and death then only go for any extreme or harsh options.
Simple problems should have simple solution(don’t try killing a mosquito using a sword). Don’t unnecessarily complicate things by choosing options that will further aggravate the problems discussed. The decision should be in line with the basic norms ad policies followed by any organization. Do not violate any principles if specifically mentioned in the case study.
A lot of time people get the answers wrong because they bring in their own personal experience and biases when looking for a decision. For example, if you are a female and if the case study pertains to a female you may get biased towards the female discusses in the case study. So, don’t be subjective and answer your question objectively like an arbiter.
Keep yourself within the scope of the case study . if you have some prior knowledge regarding the subject discussed in the case study, do not let that information mar your decision making capability. In other words , stick to the case study and act accordingly.
Do not jump to conclusions, avoid any such options that do not follow a proper series of action. For eg; any misconduct or a charge of unethical behavior must be investigated first in order to gather some evidence to support your decision. You cannot simply fire someone or give disproportionate punishment just because you have the power to do so.
There will be some cases where you may come across some controversy related to the organization. I n such cases you are supposed to choose option that minimizes the impact of the controversy and help in establishing the goodwill of the organization.
When asked to arrange the decision making options in decreasing order of appropriateness or organizational interventions , then options that will have immediately solved the problem will come first.
The first step in making a decision is the realization that decision is necessary. In other words you have to define the type of decision that needs to be made ,and how it will solve your problem, or improve a product or service for your customer.
Evaluating each alternative for its positives and negatives can help you eliminate which possible solution is the wrong one. Your goal is to identify the options that give you best chance of success and least chance of failure. And once you have selected an option make sure you also evaluate the impact of your decision.

In brief , you are supposed to :

a) identify a problem

b) gather evidence from the given case study

c) look for possible alternatives

d) evaluate your chosen option

e) review the possible consequences of your chosen option

f) making a choice keeping in my mind the norms , ethics and policies.

ALL THE BEST !