Running Head: DECISION MAKING UNDER PRESSURE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON

THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS

Decision Making Under Pressure and its Implications on the Decision-Making Process

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Date
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MAKING PROCESS 2

Decision Making Under Pressure and its Implications on the Decision-Making Process

Problem Statement

The ability of employees and managers to make decisions is curtailed by the fact that

modern workplaces are characterized by a need to carry out multiple tasks simultaneously.

Although organizations adopt technologies that aid in the decision-making process, managers

and employees cannot avoid the stress associated with pressure to meet work-related deadlines.

Stress has a significant impact on the ability of managers and employees to make appropriate

decisions. According to Hejase et al. (2017), a study conducted by the American Psychological

Association illustrated that workplace stress negatively affected the productivity of

approximately half of the interviewed participants. Although time pressure may have some

positive benefits, most research shows that the effects are predominantly negative (Gok & Astan,

2016). One of the common effects of stress at the workplace on managers and employees is

irrational decision making which leads to poor business performance.

Although workplace stress is mainly associated with managers and employees who work

in offices, it also affects the people that work from home. Some people may work well under

pressure but not all people are suited for it thus leading to unethical decisions. Poor decisions are

mainly associated with fear of failure and its consequences. Managers and employees result in

poor decisions while trying to meet strict deadlines as they fear the possibility of severe

repercussions. According to Williams (2020), the pressure to meet targets and deadlines may

influence employees and managers to falsify data to avoid consequences of failure.

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Research Aim and Objectives

The main aim of this study is to research the impact of pressure on decision making

during the decision-making process. Also, the study will analyze the aspects that lead to stress

which causes poor decision making. The following objectives will be used to substantiate this

research:

 To evaluate the positive outcomes of stress on decision making.

 To analyze the negative effect of stress on the decision-making process.

 To analyze past literature related to the contributions of pressure on decision

making.

 To evaluate the factors that contribute to stress thus leading to poor decisions at

the workplace.

 To analyze the strategies that organizations make to reduce stress among

managers and employees thus ensuring enhanced decision making.

Methodology

The research study will employ existing research mainly secondary sources related to

decision making under stress and its consequences to conduct an extensive literature review. It is

essential to carry out the literature review as it will provide me with a clear understanding of the

topic at hand. The secondary sources that will be used will consist of books, periodicals,

journals, and other articles. The secondary sources will be retrieved from the CQU library
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(online& campus), Google Scholar and other online resources. The selected resources will be

recent to ensure that the gathered information is as accurate and relevant as possible.

The research will also incorporate data collected from surveys to supplement the

information gathered from the secondary sources. The gathered data will illustrate the

participants’ perception of the influence of pressure on decision-making at the workplace and

home. The data gathering process will take a quantitative and qualitative approach.

 Qualitative Approach- in this approach, questionnaires and forms will be created

and distributed to participants through online surveys. This method of data

collection was selected due to its ease of access to the participants. The

participants can answer the questionnaires from any place in the world. The

selected participants will include managers and employees from various

organizations. The participants will be selected randomly to ensure that the

provided information is not biased.

 Quantitative Approach- the study will analyze the collected data and present it in

graphical formats such as charts and graphs. These representations will provide a

clear understanding of the frequency of causes of stress among employees and

managers.
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References

Gok, K., & Atsan, N. (2016). Decision-making under stress and its implications for managerial

decision-making: a review of the literature. International Journal of Business and Social

Research, 6(3), 38-47.

Hejase, H. J., Hamdar, B., Hashem, F., & Bou Sleiman, R. (2017). Decision making under stress:

an exploratory study in Lebanon. The Journal of the Middle East and North Africa

Sciences, 10(5551), 1-16.

Williams, L. (2018). How Stress Affects the Decision-Making Process in Employees and

Employers-Part 1. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/@psychbrother/how-stress-

affects-the-decision-making-process-in-employees-and-employers-part-1-bd174edc3bc5