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ACADEMIA Letters Organization Decision Making – During a Global Pandemic Rafeal Graves Covid-19 originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The outbreak of Coronavirus, COVID-19 caught the world by surprise, causing unpreparedness and wreaking significant havoc on business endeavors (Sharma, Leung, Kingshott, Davcik, & Cardinali, 2020). According to Ikpe et al., 2020), the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic, the disease that has now infected more than 4.33 million people worldwide. The human-to-human transmission of COVID-19 led to a lockdown of communities and closing businesses (Akpan, Ezeume, Udomboso, Ezeume, & Akpan. 2020; Ikpe et al.; 2020). Worldwide, businesses of all sizes needed exceedance decision-making while adopting cutting-edge technologies to drive the business as the global health crisis continued (Ikpe, Soopramanien & Kwak, 2020). The serious adverse effects on small businesses and large companies needed to incorporate different strategies to tackle a once-in century pandemic (Humphries, Neilson, and Ulyssea 2020; Ikpe et al., 2020). According to Sharma et al. (2020), despite the perpetual need to understand and manage uncertainty in global businesses, there were no comprehensive frame strategies used by corporate executives, top managers, and line managers. Furthermore, any strategic outcomes would make it difficult for business managers to understand and develop appropriate strategies to effectively deal with the pandemic (Sharma et al., 2020). In the wave of this global health crisis and to avoid a total shut down of economic businesses need to think of new ways such as reviewing organizational business strategies to strengthen new communications, technologies to maintain and seek new opportunities for businesses have become crucial for the global economy (Ting., Carin, Dzau, and Wong, 2020; Ikpe et al., 2020). Many businesses of all sizes have since implemented steps to see how to overcome this new threat (Ting et al. 2020; Webster 2020; Ikpe et al., 2020) by creating surAcademia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Rafeal Graves, rdermundog@gmail.com Citation: Graves, R. (2021). Organization Decision Making – During a Global Pandemic. Academia Letters, Article 1994. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1994. 1 vival strategies during the shuttering of businesses. For example, the theoretical framework will analyze the process through effective execution of strategy, organizational theory, organizational design, organic and mechanistic, management styles and hierarchical structure, organizations planning and learning organization to establish the best way corporate management can best lead the organization decision-making. Theoretical Framework Process: Effective Execution of Strategy With acute competition in today’s borderless world pandemic, organizational decision-making is of the utmost importance in all industries. According to Prabhu (2018) building, a strong workforce is the only survival tool needed to thrive in such a pandemic volatile environment. Companies need proactive decision-making individuals who actively create an environment where change is needed, while less proactive people must take on a more reactive approach toward their jobs Prabhu (2018). Companies must seek to provide strategies that would be effective in decision-making. Organizations may also need to engage with their stakeholder’s decision-making that can be a common theme to all engagement activities (Dukhanin, Topazian & DeCamp, 2018). Effective execution of strategies, the goal of incorporating those stakeholders’ needs, values, and preferences are critical during a global pandemic. These stakeholders are commonly considered consumers, governing board, government policy-making “stakeholder, participatory management, and other corporate heads (Dukhanin, et al., 2018). For quality decision-making, shared information is important in a learning organization compared to an efficient performance organization. Organizationally, firms do not operate in a vacuum organization Cai & Szeidl (2018) should have a decentralized structure and have continued horizontal communication. The emphasis must be about sharing information related to other elements such as organization design with input on its business relationships’ structure, tasks, strategy, and culture. Companies must provide sharing information to train and provide intermediate inputs for other services that are central to the organization. For effective strategy, organization must provide exceptional decision-making engagement where it is participatory executives, managers, and staff. The entire company must be involved and have good representation and be a major advocate for clear and concise, effective decision-making strategies during a global crisis. When firms are efficient and mechanistically designed with a centralized structure and vertical communication, the organizational structure can provide tasks, strategy, and a culture that will flow across every hierarchical Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Rafeal Graves, rdermundog@gmail.com Citation: Graves, R. (2021). Organization Decision Making – During a Global Pandemic. Academia Letters, Article 1994. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1994. 2 level. During this time of uncertainty, organization decision and change it where the sharing of information empowers employees, provides teamwork, and collaboration to cultural change in the work environment. Several researchers have called for a more person-focused approach to the study of organizational change (e.g., Aktouf, 1992; Bray, 1994; Prabhu, 2018). Especially since immense changes in the world, particularly of work and jobs in the 21st century requiring greater initiative, courtesy of global competition and the global pandemic (Cascio, 1995; Frese & Fay, 2001; Howard, 1995; Prabhu, 2018). Companies and management had to make decisions on following the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, World Health Organization (WHO), federal, state, and local guidelines. Organizations must make decisions to either have their employees work from home, corporate employees’ layoffs, shuttering of is businesses or shutdown all completely, never to open again. Daft (2016) asserted that organizations could develop an effective information management system for themselves and the external environment with the ability to change when crises does arise. Crises may come and go, but corporations need to adapt and adjust their business modeling or fail. The complexity of external elements affects the operation, such as competitors, suppliers, industry changes, and government regulations (Daft, 2016). Perception during change is important, and the organization must be aware that implications vary at different levels and during the organizational change. Decision-makers must view each level quite differently, and top management may view it as a positive and required step towards overall health and progress. In contrast, lower-level managers and employees may concern themselves with negative views ranging from threats to their job to minor disruptions of their day-to-day activities (Strebel, 1996; Prabhu, 2018). Organizational Theory As companies goes through organizational socialization processes, they learn how to perform assigned tasks, adapt to new roles, identify with organizational culture, and become accepted members (Van Maanen & Schein, 1979; Li, Fan, Yao, & Zheng, 2019). According to Daft (2016) the psychology and sociology of an organization may hinder the new advances in decision-making especially during a global crisis. One of the challenges faced in this process is becoming socially assimilated into the organizational environment (Morrison, 2002; Li, Fan, Yao, & Zheng, 2019). Scholars have suggested that when new organizational theory should be considered when a corporation has successfully enhanced its social assimilation to new work groups, as well as the organizations (Bauer, Morrison, & Callister, 1998; Feldman, Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Rafeal Graves, rdermundog@gmail.com Citation: Graves, R. (2021). Organization Decision Making – During a Global Pandemic. Academia Letters, Article 1994. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1994. 3 1981; Morrison, 2002; Li, Fan, Yao, & Zheng, 2019). Top management may view revised decision-making as a positive change that requires step towards the overall health and progress of the organization decision-making Daft (2016). While on the other hand, lower-level managers and employees may have a concern for the decision-making changes and the virus by viewing it negatively, ranging from threat to their job to major disruptions of their day-today activities (Strebel, 1996; Prabhu, 2018). As companies’ business models change during the pandemic, organizations have to adapt themselves to survive not only in an increasingly competitive market but during a global crisis (Tortorella, Fettermann, Cauchick & Sawhney, 2020). Furthermore, workplaces are likely to be influenced by these strategic choices (Tarakci 2016; Watkins and Kim 2018; Tortorella et al., 2020), such changes in the workplace. The company’s business model may encourage employees to think differently and learn new skills, practices, behaviors, and techniques (Tortorella et al., 2020). Organizational Design Organizational design change has traditionally been viewed at the organizational level (Prabhu, 2018). Organizational design and decision-making involve specific actions taken by the organization to transform internal structure or other characteristics and policies. Companies apparently do this in response to environmental conditions and the need to survive and progress in a dynamic scenario such as the global pandemic (Armenakis & Bedeian, 1999; Johnson, 1996;Prabhu, 2018). Organizational design change has traditionally been viewed at the higher organizational level. It involves specific actions to transform internal structure or other characteristics and policies. Internal and exterior environmental conditions apparently need a response to the critical situation of COVID-19 to survive and progress in this dynamic scenario (Armenakis & Bedeian, 1999; Johnson, 1996; Rodriguez, Molina-Castillo & Svensson, 2020). There is, however, a burgeoning interest in how organizational design change surges down through the organization, ultimately to be experienced at the individual level (Judge, Thoresen, Pucik, & Welboume, 1999; Rodriguez et al., 2020). Therefore, the organizational design results approach cooperatively adapts and overcome problems through a solid decision by exploiting the issues to strengthen itself during this crisis (Daft, 2016). Daft (2016) asserted that organizations could develop an effective information management system for themselves and the external environment to change when crises do arise. Corporations must adapt and adjust to the complexity of external elements that affect the operation, such as competitors, suppliers, industry changes, and government regulations. Daft (2016) goes through organizational design changes. For effective organizational design strategies, organization must provide exceptional decision-making engagement where it is participatory executives, Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Rafeal Graves, rdermundog@gmail.com Citation: Graves, R. (2021). Organization Decision Making – During a Global Pandemic. Academia Letters, Article 1994. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1994. 4 managers, and staff. The entire company must be involved and have good representation and be a major advocate for clear and concise, effective decision-making strategies during a global crisis. When firms are efficient and mechanistically designed with a centralized structure and vertical communication, the organizational structure can provide tasks, strategy, and a culture that will flow across every hierarchical level. Evidence-Based Management Daft, R. (2016) describes evidence-based management as a commitment to make more informed and intelligent decisions based on the best available facts and evidence” (p.638). According to Hall and Battaglio (2018) evidence‐informed or evidence‐based is much like the other objective management strategies of the past. Evidence‐based management includes program evaluation, strategic planning, and performance management (Hall & Battaglio, 2018). Today’s “scholars believe that more information and evidence about the effectiveness of particular heuristics or strategies are imperative to ensuring accountability through effectiveness and efficiency” (Hall & Battaglio, 2018, p. 181). Evidence-based management is committed to making more informed and intelligent decisions based on the best available facts and evidence. Evidence-based management should be applied to organizations that govern, provide information, or hold the public’s interest to the forefront. It also means being aware of biases, seeking and examining the evidence with complete rigor, applying evidence-based management; corporations must be careful and rely on verifiable data and facts to make well-informed decisions. Many managers are uncertain about approaching the problem by intuitions to complex information and non-programmed decisions and applying evidence-based management. Hard facts and data are not always available and seeking evidence; managers should try to avoid relying on faulty assumptions. Moreover, decision-makers can also do a post-mortem of decisions to evaluate what worked, what did not, and how to do things better. Evidence-based management should be applied to organizations that govern, provide information, or hold the public’s interest to the forefront (Hall & Battaglio, 2018). In applying evidence-based management, one must analyze the data and not skew the evidence even if the information is unlikable to the final audience. By understanding how to react to the various situations, managers can be objective and allow facts and evidence lead them where it needs to go and present it the organization. Academia Letters, July 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0 Corresponding Author: Rafeal Graves, rdermundog@gmail.com Citation: Graves, R. (2021). Organization Decision Making – During a Global Pandemic. Academia Letters, Article 1994. https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1994. 5 Summary and Conclusion In conclusion, worldwide, businesses of all sizes have to adopt decision-making as it major cognate to drive the business as the global health crisis continues (Ikpe, Soopramanien & Kwak (2020). There were no comprehensive frame strategies used by corporate executives, top managers, and line managers; however, companies can work for overall changes through several theoretical studies. Furthermore, business managers must understand any strategic outcomes and develop appropriate strategies to effectively deal with the pandemic (Sharma et al., 2020). Thinking of new ways by reviewing past organizational business strategies can strengthen new communications and technologies to maintain and seek new opportunities (Ting., Carin, Dzau, and Wong, 2020; Ikpe et al., 2020). 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