Flow-Based Decision-Making
The Appleton Greene Corporate Training Program (CTP) for Flow-Based Decision-Making is provided by Dr. Glick-Smith Certified Learning Provider (CLP). Program Specifications: Monthly cost USD$2,500.00; Monthly Workshops 6 hours; Monthly Support 4 hours; Program Duration 12 months; Program orders subject to ongoing availability.
Personal Profile
Dr. Glick-Smith is a Certified Learning Provider (CLP) with Appleton Greene. She has over 35 years of experience as a technical communication, knowledge management, and leadership/organization development consultant. She is a recognized expert in the areas of flow-based decision making and flow-based leadership.
Her book was listed as number one on Fire Chief Magazine’s Top 9 Public Safety Leadership Books of 2016. She has also co-authored and co-edited three additional leadership books. She has taught her “Strategic Planning for Your Life” workshop to thousands of people over the last 30 years.
Dr. Glick-Smith has been studying flow-based decision making and leadership in Fire & Emergency Management Services (EMS) since 2007. She started The Center for Flow-Based Leadership®, a division of MentorFactor, Inc., in 2018 to advance the lessons of service, compassion, and commitment to an articulated mission learned in Fire & EMS to other public service and corporate organizations.
Dr. Glick-Smith is an in-demand speaker to national audiences in a broad range of sectors in which she has consulted, including Technology, Financial Services, Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Public Service, Transit, Associations, Consultancy, Regulated (e.g., Utilities, Cybersecurity, OSHA, ISO, and Payment Card Industry). She has worked with global companies and is not limited geographically.
She holds a Ph.D. in Transformative Studies with a concentration in Integral Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She has a Master of Science in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting with a Minor in Information Systems.
To request further information about Dr. Glick-Smith through Appleton Greene, please Click Here.
(CLP) Programs
Appleton Greene corporate training programs are all process-driven. They are used as vehicles to implement tangible business processes within clients’ organizations, together with training, support and facilitation during the use of these processes. Corporate training programs are therefore implemented over a sustainable period of time, that is to say, between 1 year (incorporating 12 monthly workshops), and 4 years (incorporating 48 monthly workshops). Your program information guide will specify how long each program takes to complete. Each monthly workshop takes 6 hours to implement and can be undertaken either on the client’s premises, an Appleton Greene serviced office, or online via the internet. This enables clients to implement each part of their business process, before moving onto the next stage of the program and enables employees to plan their study time around their current work commitments. The result is far greater program benefit, over a more sustainable period of time and a significantly improved return on investment.
Appleton Greene uses standard and bespoke corporate training programs as vessels to transfer business process improvement knowledge into the heart of our clients’ organizations. Each individual program focuses upon the implementation of a specific business process, which enables clients to easily quantify their return on investment. There are hundreds of established Appleton Greene corporate training products now available to clients within customer services, e-business, finance, globalization, human resources, information technology, legal, management, marketing and production. It does not matter whether a client’s employees are located within one office, or an unlimited number of international offices, we can still bring them together to learn and implement specific business processes collectively. Our approach to global localization enables us to provide clients with a truly international service with that all important personal touch. Appleton Greene corporate training programs can be provided virtually or locally and they are all unique in that they individually focus upon a specific business function. All (CLP) programs are implemented over a sustainable period of time, usually between 1-4 years, incorporating 12-48 monthly workshops and professional support is consistently provided during this time by qualified learning providers and where appropriate, by Accredited Consultants.
Executive summary
Flow-Based Decision-Making
The Flow-based Decision-making program teaches a dynamic approach to making decisions in today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world.
Unlike rigid, linear decision-making models, flow-based decision making embraces the idea that decisions should evolve naturally as circumstances change and new information becomes available. Multiple studies since the early 1980s by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Martin Seligman, and others have shown that when individuals, teams, and organizations operate in flow and they have had enough experience and the right experiential training, they make better decisions and increase their productivity.
The Impact of Poor Decision Making
Decision making in today’s business environment faces a plethora of challenges: evolving technologies, market newcomers, cybersecurity threats, workforce changes, globalized supply chains, and interconnected financials systems. This complexity hinders effective decision making in the following ways:
• The inability to be agile and adaptable.
• Decision fatigue.
• Risk aversion.
• Siloed thinking.
• Ineffective decision processes.
• Resistance to change.
• Data overload.
• Employee disengagement.
• Suboptimal performance.
• The lack of commitment to efficient and effective communication.
Corporate Examples of Poor Decision Making
In the dynamic landscape of corporate decision-making, the stories of Kodak, Theranos, and Wirecard offer stark lessons. Kodak’s decline, precipitated by its resistance to change and its reluctance to embrace the digital revolution it pioneered, underscores the necessity of adaptability and innovation. Theranos, with its fraudulent claims about revolutionary blood testing technology, highlights the critical importance of ethics and transparency in business. Finally, Wirecard’s collapse, following revelations of extensive financial fraud, serves as a cautionary tale about the need for robust financial oversight and regulatory diligence. Together, these cases emphasize that success in the business world is not merely about groundbreaking ideas or rapid growth, but equally about ethical integrity, adaptability to market changes, and responsible governance. These examples are sobering reminders of the consequences of poor decision-making in the corporate realm.
Corporate Examples of Excellent Decision Making
In the realm of modern business, strategic decision-making is pivotal for success, as demonstrated by Apple, Netflix, and Microsoft. Apple’s launch of the iPhone in 2007, under Steve Jobs, revolutionized the smartphone industry by venturing into mobile technology, showcasing the power of innovation and market foresight. Netflix, led by Reed Hastings, transitioned from DVD rentals to streaming in 2007, adapting to consumer preferences for digital content, which not only ensured its survival but also redefined entertainment consumption. Microsoft, under Satya Nadella, embraced cloud computing in 2014, shifting from software licensing to cloud services, a move that rejuvenated its business model and established it as a leader in the cloud sector. These examples underscore the critical role of visionary leadership and strategic agility in navigating market shifts, highlighting how bold decisions can transform organizations and lead to unparalleled success in the competitive business landscape.
Decision Making Models Contrasted
Business school models of decision making involve some variation of the following seven-step method:
This model works fine when we have time to devote to the solution, but this kind of analysis is not practical in most settings. Even when there is an abundance of time and information available, we do not make decisions this way. We tend to gravitate toward the last decision we made in a similar situation that had successful results. In critical situations emotions take over. Experience facilitates accurate reliance on emotion, which leads to right action.
Flow-based decision-making combines the work of Gary Klein and his Recognition-Primed Decision Model (RPDM) and the idea of making decisions while in a flow state. This is representative of how people actually make decisions.
Recognition Primed Decision Model, Gary Klein
Conclusion
Leadership sets the tone for an organization. If the leaders are making bad strategic choices, they are setting the example for the people who do the work of the organization at the tactical level.
This program fosters effective decision-making at the individual, team, and organizational levels, emphasizing alignment with organizational goals and an outward focus on service. It underscores the importance of implementing standardized processes, committing to a robust infrastructure, and providing continuous experiential training to facilitate flow-based decision-making. A flow-based organization has happy employees who are empowered to do their best work. Such an approach results in loyal customers ultimately impacting the bottom line in a positive way.
Whether you are facilitating an Agile team of tech developers, leading a corporate board of directors, commanding a team of firefighters in an emergent incident, performing brain surgery, creating alone in your studio, playing on a basketball team, or fishing by a quiet stream, this program is designed for those who want to make better decisions by maximizing their flow-states and the flow-states of others in outward-facing service.