CTL Decision Making & Problem Solving 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A team is stuck in analysis paralysis. The team leader should MOST likely:
- Wait for complete consensus before moving forward
- Set a firm decision deadline and use available information (Correct answer)
- Bring in an external consultant to decide
- Reduce the team size to speed deliberation
Correct answer: Set a firm decision deadline and use available information
Setting a decision deadline prevents indefinite deferral and encourages the team to commit to the best available option within the timeframe.
Question 2: Which of the following BEST describes the role of assumptions in the problem-solving process?
- Assumptions are facts and should always be accepted
- Untested assumptions can lead the team to solve the wrong problem (Correct answer)
- Assumptions speed up problem solving and should be encouraged
- Assumptions only matter during the solution implementation phase
Correct answer: Untested assumptions can lead the team to solve the wrong problem
Unchallenged assumptions may cause a team to misdefine the problem, resulting in wasted effort on an irrelevant solution.
Question 3: A team leader wants to evaluate how a proposed decision might play out over time. The BEST approach is to use:
- A responsibility assignment matrix
- Scenario planning (Correct answer)
- A cause-and-effect diagram
- A Pareto chart
Correct answer: Scenario planning
Scenario planning allows leaders to explore multiple possible futures and assess how a decision performs under different conditions.
Question 4: When a team leader delegates a decision to a team member, the leader should PRIMARILY ensure that the member has:
- The most seniority on the team
- Clear authority, relevant information, and defined accountability (Correct answer)
- Approval from all other team members
- A written directive to share with stakeholders
Correct answer: Clear authority, relevant information, and defined accountability
Effective delegation of a decision requires granting authority, providing necessary information, and establishing clear accountability for the outcome.
Question 5: The sunk cost fallacy in decision making refers to the tendency to:
- Overestimate future costs of a project
- Continue investing in a failing course of action because of past investment (Correct answer)
- Underestimate the time required to implement a solution
- Ignore stakeholder input when costs are high
Correct answer: Continue investing in a failing course of action because of past investment
The sunk cost fallacy causes decision-makers to let non-recoverable past costs influence future decisions rather than focusing on prospective value.
Question 6: A team leader is choosing between two solutions: Solution A has a certain moderate gain, and Solution B has an equal chance of a large gain or a significant loss. Choosing Solution A reflects:
- Risk seeking behavior
- Risk neutrality
- Risk aversion (Correct answer)
- Loss framing
Correct answer: Risk aversion
Preferring a certain moderate outcome over a risky option with equivalent expected value is the hallmark of risk-averse decision making.
Question 7: During problem solving, reframing the problem statement is valuable because it:
- Eliminates the need for data collection
- Can reveal new solution paths not visible from the original framing (Correct answer)
- Satisfies stakeholders who disagree with the initial diagnosis
- Reduces the time needed to implement a fix
Correct answer: Can reveal new solution paths not visible from the original framing
A different problem framing can expose overlooked root causes and lead the team toward more effective and creative solutions.
CTL Decision Making & Problem Solving 4
A team is stuck in analysis paralysis.
The team leader should MOST likely: