Effective decision making and project management are critical skills for success in academic medicine and healthcare. This collection of resources contains quick strategies for immediate implementation or comprehensive frameworks for complex initiatives. You will find practical tools to support effective decision making, efficient project management, and collaborative planning. The resources provided range from actionable templates and checklists for day-to-day management to in-depth guides for those looking to enhance their organizational leadership capabilities in academic healthcare settings.
Just In Time
These Just In Time resources are ideal if you only have a couple of minutes to start finding out about Decision Making and Project Management
Five Key Elements for Better Decision Making
Source: Harvard Business Impact Enterprise
A Harvard professor demonstrates a systematic approach to overcoming biases and boosting motivation for more effective decision-making
Additional Resources:
Compares six leadership styles to golf clubs, emphasizing the need to match approach to project and team context.
A four-quadrant tool to help leaders decide when to act versus delegate, based on risk and urgency
Six practical ways for leaders to ease decision stress using stakeholders management and financial literacy
Deeper Dive
If you have more time to invest, these Deeper Dive resources are longer and/or more in depth so you can gain a deeper understanding of Decision Making and Project Management.
Decision Making in Leadership
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4 styles of Decision-making: A leader’s guide (PDF)
4 styles of Decision-making: A leader’s guide
Guide identifying four distinct decision-making approaches, explaining when each style is most effective.
S Malhotra, The Enterprisers Project.
Academic Leadership and Decision-Making (Link)
Academic Leadership and Decision-Making
Examines how academic leadership and decision-making affect gender inequalities in higher education, exploring the impact of COVID-19 on women’s advancement in leadership positions within STEM.
K Bibbins-Domingo, A Helman. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Policy and Global Affairs; Committee on Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine; Committee on Improving the Representation of Women and Underrepresented Minorities in Clinical Trials and Research. InImproving Representation in Clinical Trials and Research: Building Research Equity for Women and Underrepresented Groups 2022 (Vol. 2). Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US).
Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Teach Leaders How to Make Better Decisions Amid Uncertainty (Link)
Harvard Kennedy School Faculty Teach Leaders How to Make Better Decisions Amid Uncertainty
Faculty experts share insights on leading through crises with limited information, highlighting strategies for assessing situations, and navigating political complexities.
N Delaney. 2020
Leadership and Decision-making in the Face of Great Risk (Video)
Leadership and Decision-making in the Face of Great Risk
Duration: Approx. 1.5 hrs
Harvard leadership expert Ronald Heifetz examines how leaders can navigate crises by balancing trust-building with empowering collective adaptability in uncertain environments.
HB Leonard, GF Baker Jr., Harvard Kennedy School.
The Changing Roles of Academic Leaders: Decision-Making, Power, and Performance (PDF)
The Changing Roles of Academic Leaders: Decision-Making, Power, and Performance
Studies transformations in university governance across Nordic countries, showing how increased institutional autonomy and management reforms reshape academic decision-making, leadership dynamics, and organizational effectiveness.
L Geschwind, T Aarrevaara, LN Berg, JK Lind. The changing roles of academic leaders: Decision-making, power, and performance. Reforms, organizational change and performance in higher education: A comparative account from the Nordic countries. 2019:181-210.
Project Management and Planning
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Finding and Doing What Matters Most: Five Productivity Strategies for Physicians in Academic Medicine (Link)
A guide offering five strategies to help physicians maintain focus on meaningful work: prioritizing tasks, tracking responsibilities, investing in time-saving solutions, and celebrating accomplishments.
AW Schwartz, SR Solomon. Finding and doing what matters most: Five productivity strategies for physicians in academic medicine. Med Teach. 2023 Feb;45(2):123-127. doi: 10.1080/0142159X.2022.2126762. Epub 2022 Sep 29. PMID: 36175169; PMCID: PMC9898133
Understanding The Role of Leadership in Project Management (Link)
Understanding The Role of Leadership in Project Management
Distinguishes between project management and leadership by identifying key competencies project managers must develop beyond technical skills.
N Duggal, April 2025.
UW Madison - Project Management Basics (Free Course)
UW Madison – Project Management Basics
[Please note that access may require NetID login]
Free introductory course covering the six phases of project management, designed for UW-Madison staff to develop practical skills for planning, scheduling, and executing projects successfully.
Why Do All Leaders Need Project Management Skills? (Link)
Why Do All Leaders Need Project Management Skills?
Demonstrates how project management skills are essential for all leaders by enhancing decision-making, communication, and organizational efficiency.
J Bateh, PhD. January 2024.