science

Normative model of decision-making

Normative model of decision-making is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Normative model of decision-making rather than just read about it. In short: Victor Vroom, a professor at Yale University and a scholar on leadership and decision-making, developed the normative model of decision-making. Drawing upon literature from the areas of leadership, group decision-making, and procedural fairness, Vroom’s model predicts the effectiveness of decision-making procedures.

Key takeaways

Normative model of decision-making belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Normative model of decision-making to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Normative model of decision-making from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Victor Vroom, a professor at Yale University and a scholar on leadership and decision-making, developed the normative model of decision-making. Drawing upon literature from the areas of leadership, group decision-making, and procedural fairness, Vroom’s model predicts the effectiveness of decision-making procedures. Specifically, Vroom’s model takes into account the situation and the importance of the decision to determine which of Vroom’s five decision-making methods will be most effective.

Decision-making processes Vroom identified five types of decision-making processes, each varying on degree of participation by the leader.

Decide: The leader makes the decision or solves the problem alone and announces his/her decision to the group. The leader may gather information from members of the group. Consult (Individually): The leader approaches group members individually and presents them with the problem. The leader records the group member’s suggestions and makes a decision, deciding whether or not to use the information provided by group members. Consult (Group): The leader holds a group meeting where he/she presents the problem to the group as a whole. All members are asked to contribute and make suggestions during the meeting. The leader makes his/her decision alone, choosing which information obtained from the group meeting to use or discard. Facilitate: The leader holds a group meeting where he/she presents the problem to the group as a whole. This differs from consulting approach as the leader ensures that his/her opinions are not given any more weight than those of the group. The decision is made by group consensus, and not solely by the leader. Delegate: The leader does not actively participate in the decision-making process. Instead, the leader provides resources (e.g., information about the problem) and encouragement.

Situational influence of decision-making Vroom identified seven situational factors that leaders should consider when choosing a decision-making process.

Decision significance: How will the decision affect the project’s success, or the organization as a whole? Importance of commitment: Is it important that team members are committed to the final decision? Leader’s expertise: How knowledgeable is the leader in regards to the problem(s) at hand? Likelihood of commitment: If the leader makes the decision by himself/herself, how committed would the group members be to the decision? Group support for objectives: To what degree do group members support the leader’s and organization’s objectives? Group expertise: How knowledgeable are the group members in regards to the problem(s) at hand? Team competence: How well can group members work together to solve the problem? Vroom created a number of matrices which allow leaders to take into consideration these seven situational influences in order to choose the most effective decision-making process.

Application Vroom’s normative model of decision-making has been used in a wide array of organizational settings to help leaders select the best decision-making style and also to describe the behaviours of leaders and group members. Further, Vroom’s model has been applied to research in the areas of gender and leadership style, and cultural influences and leadership style.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Normative model of decision-making

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Normative model of decision-making claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Normative model of decision-making before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Normative model of decision-making ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Normative model of decision-making

In research: Normative model of decision-making appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Normative model of decision-making in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Normative model of decision-making is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Decision theory, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Normative model of decision-making outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Normative model of decision-making” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Normative model of decision-making in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Normative model of decision-making means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Normative model of decision-making out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Normative model of decision-making in simple terms?

Why does Normative model of decision-making matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Normative model of decision-making?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Normative model of decision-making.