CBC Decision Making & Problem Solving 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A coaching client must choose between two strong job candidates and feels stuck. Which question best supports client-led decision making?
- 'Which candidate did you like more in the interview?'
- 'Why not just flip a coin?'
- 'What criteria matter most to you, and how does each candidate measure against them?' (Correct answer)
- 'Would you like me to pick for you?'
Correct answer: 'What criteria matter most to you, and how does each candidate measure against them?'
Asking the client to articulate criteria keeps ownership with the client and structures the decision.
Question 2: Which term describes the tendency of a team to suppress dissent and converge prematurely on a decision to preserve harmony?
- Groupthink (Correct answer)
- Consensus mapping
- Brainstorming
- Delphi technique
Correct answer: Groupthink
Groupthink occurs when the desire for group harmony overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives.
Question 3: In a SWOT analysis used for strategic decision making, which pair represents internal factors?
- Strengths and opportunities
- Weaknesses and threats
- Strengths and weaknesses (Correct answer)
- Opportunities and threats
Correct answer: Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths and weaknesses are internal to the organization, while opportunities and threats are external.
Question 4: A client makes rushed, low-quality choices at the end of long workdays. What concept best explains this pattern?
- Optimism bias
- Analysis paralysis
- Bounded rationality
- Decision fatigue (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Decision fatigue
Decision fatigue is the decline in decision quality after making many decisions over an extended period.
Question 5: Which brainstorming ground rule most increases the quantity and creativity of ideas generated?
- Limit the session to five minutes
- Evaluate each idea as soon as it is voiced
- Allow only senior leaders to contribute
- Defer judgment and criticism until after idea generation (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Defer judgment and criticism until after idea generation
Deferring judgment encourages free idea flow, which is the foundation of productive brainstorming.
Question 6: What does the 'Pareto principle' suggest when a coach helps a client prioritize business problems?
- The largest department should be addressed first
- All problems deserve equal time and resources
- Roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes, so focus on the vital few (Correct answer)
- Problems should be solved in chronological order
Correct answer: Roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes, so focus on the vital few
The Pareto principle directs attention to the small subset of causes producing most of the impact.
Question 7: A client fears making the 'wrong' decision and demands certainty before acting. What is the most effective coaching reframe?
- Tell them successful leaders never feel doubt
- Suggest outsourcing all major decisions to consultants
- Agree that they should wait until certainty exists
- Explore acceptable risk and what a reversible first step could look like (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Explore acceptable risk and what a reversible first step could look like
Reframing toward acceptable risk and reversible steps helps clients act despite inherent uncertainty.
CBC Decision Making & Problem Solving 3
A coaching client must choose between two strong job candidates and feels stuck.
Which question best supports client-led decision making?