Public administrators must balance the needs of the public with the available resources, and take a long-term approach to many of the decisions facing them. Throughout this process, the public administrator must choose from alternatives (sometimes from many alternatives), each of which may well serve the public's interests, but only a few of which are in the public's best interest.
The decision making, or problem solving, process can be broken down into six phases, some of which overlap in some situations: recognizing the need for a decision; identifying the objectives; identifying alternatives; evaluating alternatives; selecting the best alternative; and, implementing the decision (Steers, 1991, p. 243).
Recognizing the need for a decision may be the most important step in the decision making process. If the manager does not recognize that there is a decision to made or a problem to be solved, he or she cannot take the necessary steps to resolve the situation. In the public sector, there are guidelines in many situations which determine when public input must be sought; in other situations, bureaucrats and public employees will be able to identify issues which require problem solving techniques (Brache & Rummler, 1997, p. 69).
Recognizing the need for a decision requires that managers recognize the difference between symptoms and underlying problems. This can be particularly problematic in the public arena in that various stakeholders may perceive the underlying problem differently. Managers and organizations which address only symptoms and not root causes are unlikely to have long-term success.
Brainstorming and cause-and-effect diagrams can be used to help isolate problems. Through these methods, individuals involved in the problem solving process can determine what the underlying cause of the problem is rather than just approach the problem from the symptom standpoint. These techniques, particularly brainstorming, can also be used to generate alternative solutions later on in the decision making process.