Decisions in a Complex World
We spend our lives making decisions. Some are pretty trivial, "Shall I have another cup of tea?". Others are a bit more important, "Shall I risk the company and everyone's jobs on my wonderful new idea?"
And we make it up as we go along. We copy what we see other people do. We fill in the firm's standard template business case. By the time most of us face the really big decisions, we are already set in the bad habits we've developed by simply living long enough.
When we look for help, we find partial answers. The self-help bookshelves are full of guidance. Except they’re not. There’s a lot of narrow focused stuff out there to help you make decisions that are creative, equitable, ecologically sound and supported by statistics. What’s missing is a basic, practical set of tools that help you make a good choice in the first place.
Here we have some useful tools and techniques. We'll show you how to use them in practice and offer suggestions that work in an organisation and at a personal level.
Young Person's Guide to Decision Making
How many schools teach you how to make decisions? You may get a job where your employer has to, like joining the armed forces but that's not everyone's choice or option. By the time most of us face the big decisions at work, we are already set in the bad habits we've developed by simply living long enough.
Here we have some useful tools and techniques. We'll show you how to use them in practice and offer suggestions that work in an organisation and at a personal level.
Know Your Deadlines
Someone wants you to do something big, so what’s the first thing you do? Plan to make your decision. It’s always worth taking the time to pause and think before you jump in with a decision. The time appreciation is a method of giving you the space to think things through.