What are decisions…

*Image Credit: Namida-k

Scholar Robert Chua says that we have spoken so much about decision making that we have gotten it to the point where we can no longer talk about it in a meaningful way.  However, we need to say something because we are of those that must make decisions.  I think decision making is the act of making choices in certain situations where there are knowns and unknowns.

Your boss comes to you and says can we afford to do this?  Should I do that?  You job is to reason between the two points of view and reach a conclusion.   You reason between that which we know about and that which know about.  Here is a story from my own life:

Recently I was asked what I thought about an assignment from a student… was it good enough?  When I looked at her assignment it looked to me as if it was fine so I sent back an email saying that I thought it was fine.  When marking time comes I have to apply a set of criteria.  That criteria returned an above average grade but wasn’t a ‘perfect’ grade.The student then contacted me and said, ‘You told me that I would get a better grade, you said it was fine.’  My very unpopular response was: yes the assessment was fine and that’s the grade I gave it.  To me it was good enough.  It was fine.  But it wasn’t great.
On the surface it looks like I am being nasty.  However, that student demonstrated a decision to trust me to tell her what I thought.  She gave me the criteria for making that decision.  She asked me if it was good enough.  To me it was.  But I can’t tell you what a great assignment is until I see one.  Why?  Simply because I don’t set out to make perfect assignments… as a student that’s your job.  I can give you the parameters.  I can tell you this is what I think greatness looks like, but unless you show me greatness… how will I know what it looks like?

The decision for me was based on a set of knowns in my mind.  What is good enough?  I have a set of ideas locked away in my mind that says, ‘here this is what is good enough’.  Therefore my response was framed that way.

In my way of thinking we make decisions to solve problems.  Note:
1.    A decision is made under constraints
2.    It’s based on what we think the problem is
3.    Under the constraints of 1 and 2 we make certain choices
4.    We act
For this reason when you make decisions you need to be aware that you are acting under constraints.  What kind of constraints?  What kind of process are you involved in?  What kind of pressure has your boss or employees or YOU put yourself under?  All of these things affect the way you make decisions.  A decision is something you make based on a certain criteria.

What kind of decisions do you make?

What is your role?  What are the expectations of your role?  Here is an example from my own life:

Role: I am a lecturer

Expectations: To undertake research, teaching and service to the university under given constraints.

Decisions I make and am responsible for: When to do research, how to manage students and deliver courses, when and where to help the in the university decision making process.
These are the decisions I am paid for.  Note the constraints.  These are the things I can’t control.  I can’t just make my own decisions when I find a cheat for example.  I can use judgement.  The question is am I aware of those constraints?  Do I know what I am responsible for?

Decisions are those things we have to come to a conclusion about in which we must choose a course of action.  They are based on what we know about something and unfortunately, what we don’t know.  In my life I have often made decisions on what people have known and how they have come to know it, without realising I am operating under different constraints.  That is, when I make decisions, I have thought I could copy what someone else had done and expect much the same results.  It just won’t work.  Hence, this is why we haven’t yet invented a business system that can actually do the job it was assigned to do.  Every organisation is different… every person is different.  We have different stories we tell ourselves. And on we go.

To conclude this post I want you to begin to think about the decisions you make and under what constraints you make them.  What are the rules you use to make decisions?  What pressure do you put yourself under?  Think about it… the answer may just surprise you.

Powered by MightyAdsense

Subscribe to lukehoughton.com