We may engage in emotionally driven decision making when we’re in situations where our emotions are highly stimulated. Emotionally driven decision making (or impulsive decision making) is likely to occur in especially stressful or ambiguous situations. For example, this may happen when there’s a lack of clarity about what expectations.
Unfortunately, making decisions on the spur of the moment can often lead to irrational or hasty decisions. This happens because our thinking is often muddled and we may not take time to consider all relevant factors. The decisions managers make impact the experiences of workers. They have a clear responsibility to ensure they make the best decisions possible. Emotions can be an instructive component in decision making. But strong emotions can interfere.
Emotions, in other words, should not ‘drive’ the decision-making process.The types of situations that lead to impulsive decision making vary from person to person. It can be helpful to explore the factors that make it more likely for emotions to drive your decisions.
Think of a situation at work where you engaged in emotionally driven decision making, then later had second thoughts.
Describe the situation
Describe the decision(s) you made
Describe the decision(s) you wish you’d made
Now, think about the factors that contributed to you making an impulsive decision in this situation. Often, the factors include the demands of the situation, other people’s expectations and your thoughts about the situation. Which of these played a role for you? What could you have done differently?
Situational demand
Other people’s expectations (specifically who)
My thoughts about the situation
What I could have done differently
Thanks to Dr. Joti Samra, CEO and Founder, My Workplace Health for their expertise in the development of this resource.