What are the five phases of the decision-making process?

The five phases of the decision-making process include defining the problem, gathering information, identifying alternatives, weighing alternatives, and making a decision.

Understanding each phase helps streamline decision-making in various situations. The first step, defining the problem, ensures clarity on what needs to be addressed, setting a foundation for effective resolution. Gathering information provides the necessary context and data to better understand the situation and inform subsequent steps. Identifying alternatives opens up various potential solutions, ensuring flexibility and a broader perspective in tackling the problem at hand.

Weighing alternatives then strategically evaluates these options against predetermined criteria, allowing the decision-maker to prioritize and assess which solution best addresses the issue. Finally, making a decision culminates the process, where a choice is selected based on the insights gained through the previous phases. This structured approach equips leaders with a solid framework to navigate challenges more effectively and derive well-considered actions.

Other choices, while they include relevant elements of decision-making, do not align all five phases in a comprehensive manner as required. For instance, other options mix phases or introduce steps that do not reflect the traditional decision-making process accurately. This makes option B the most comprehensive and correct representation of the five phases.