Managers share simple rules for better decision-making and team growth

31 May 2023

Managers have the habit of creating simple rules or 'heuristics' based on their failures and sharing them with their teams and organizations, according to research by Radu Atanasiu, lecturer in management and organization at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Although managers learn simple rules for themselves based on insight and reflection, they use these rules less frequently than they would like. To address this problem, Atanasiu proposes two useful tools for practitioners, one for individual managers and one for their teams.

The first tool enables managers to actively translate their past experiences into simple rules. This helps them recognize and articulate past lessons, allowing them to build a growing personal portfolio of simple rules. The second tool facilitates the learning process by formulating simple rules that are better remembered. In this case, the project manager guides the team in formulating such rules. By actively using these tools, managers can improve their decision-making processes and promote individual and team growth. They take the initiative to transform their own experiences into valuable rules and ensure that the lessons learned are remembered and applied in future projects.

Overall, this research provides valuable insights into the complex process of creating and using simple rules in managerial decision-making. By acknowledging and articulating past experiences and distilling them into simple rules, managers can improve their decision-making processes and promote individual and team growth.