from www.virtualsalt.com by Robert Harris, 1998 Published in The New Yorker January 10, 2000
Decisions… Decisions
Look at some ideas at different level of decision making
Decision making without planning is fairly common… but it’s often not very pretty.It’s usually called crisis management or putting out fires.Planning allows decisions to be made in an easier and more logical way.Planning makes decisions easier by giving guidelines and goals for the decisions.Planning makes decisions easier.
Planning benefits decision making in 4 major ways:
Establishing the final goal
Providing a way to measure success (e.g. If you don’t know where you’re going, it doesn’t matter which way you go)
Planning changes values to actions (e.g. fire drill)
Allowing the use of limited resources (e.g. buying a home or car)
Decision Level
A. Strategic I.highest level II.general direction III.long term goals IV.philosophies and values B.Tactical I.supports strategic decisions II.medium significance C.Operational I.day to day decisions II.support tactical decisions III.impact immediate and short term
Some Techniques of Decision Making
A.T-chart I.orderly chart II.listing positives and negatives III.e.g. Maillard Cafeteria food B.PMI I.list the Plus, Minus, and what’s Interesting on a particular choice II.lets you evaluate a decision after listing many points of view III.jury example – protect the ego C.Buriden’s Ass I.Used when 2 or more equally attractive alternatives are faced II.From an old fable III.List all the negative points about each choice D.Measured Criteria I.List the criteria you want your decision to meet and assign points to each criterion based on its importance in the decision II.Each alternative is given a certain number of points according to how fully it meets the criterion (e.g. scale from 1 to 10, or 1 to 100. III.Add up the points for each alternative and decide the winner
Try It
T-Chart.Create a chart representing different perspective of a decision.Find the pro and con of the Cafeteria at Maillard ordering food in from a restaurant?
Pro
Con
Try It
PMI worksheet.Create a PMI worksheet on one of the following questions.Be sure to list at least ten reasons pro and ten cons.Then on the back of the worksheet, name and defend your final decision on the question.
P Plus
M Minus
I Interesting
Should drivers in congested areas be charged 25 cents per mile during rush hours?
Should manufacturers be required to reduce the amount of packaging they use for consumer products, as a mean of reducing garbage?
Should people wanting to get marry be required to pass a compatibility test before being allowed to marry?
Should parents be given $2500 each year to spend on their child’s education, to be applied toward education at any school, public, or private?(in elementary, middle and high school)
Try It
Buriden’s Ass.Do a Buriden’s Ass analysis on one of the following dilemmas.Afterwards, choose and defend your choice for one of the alternatives.
·Your kind boss wants to give you a raise. She offers you 3 choices oTake an increase in hourly pay oWork fewer hours per week but keep your pay the same, or oTake a long paid vacation each year and continue to work for the same hourly pay ·Through a careless accident, only your brain is left, sitting in a jar waiting for a transplant.Your doctors have 3 choices for your brain: oTransplant into an extremely attractive body oPut it into the below average body of a multi-millionaire.The millionaire’s estate will see you as the true millionaire, giving access to all the assets oPut it into a rather homely person.Only in this body is it possible for doctors to increase your intelligence level to highly superior oThe bodies are the same age and health, etc.
Try It
Measured Criteria.Using the measure criteria, you listed the criteria and assigned each of them points based on their importance (e.g. comfort, speed, etc.).Afterward you can add up their scores in each criterion and decide on a best choice.
Decision Makingfrom www.virtualsalt.com by Robert Harris, 1998
Published in The New Yorker January 10, 2000
Decision Level
A. StrategicI. highest level
II. general direction
III. long term goals
IV. philosophies and values
B. Tactical
I. supports strategic decisions
II. medium significance
C. Operational
I. day to day decisions
II. support tactical decisions
III. impact immediate and short term
- Some Techniques of Decision Making
A. T-chartI. orderly chart
II. listing positives and negatives
III. e.g. Maillard Cafeteria food
B. PMI
I. list the Plus, Minus, and what’s Interesting on a particular choice
II. lets you evaluate a decision after listing many points of view
III. jury example – protect the ego
C. Buriden’s Ass
I. Used when 2 or more equally attractive alternatives are faced
II. From an old fable
III. List all the negative points about each choice
D. Measured Criteria
I. List the criteria you want your decision to meet and assign points to each criterion based on its importance in the decision
II. Each alternative is given a certain number of points according to how fully it meets the criterion (e.g. scale from 1 to 10, or 1 to 100.
III. Add up the points for each alternative and decide the winner
Try It
Try It
PMI worksheet. Create a PMI worksheet on one of the following questions. Be sure to list at least ten reasons pro and ten cons. Then on the back of the worksheet, name and defend your final decision on the question.
Plus
Minus
Interesting
Try It
Buriden’s Ass. Do a Buriden’s Ass analysis on one of the following dilemmas. Afterwards, choose and defend your choice for one of the alternatives.
· Your kind boss wants to give you a raise. She offers you 3 choices
o Take an increase in hourly pay
o Work fewer hours per week but keep your pay the same, or
o Take a long paid vacation each year and continue to work for the same hourly pay
· Through a careless accident, only your brain is left, sitting in a jar waiting for a transplant. Your doctors have 3 choices for your brain:
o Transplant into an extremely attractive body
o Put it into the below average body of a multi-millionaire. The millionaire’s estate will see you as the true millionaire, giving access to all the assets
o Put it into a rather homely person. Only in this body is it possible for doctors to increase your intelligence level to highly superior
o The bodies are the same age and health, etc.
Try It
Measured Criteria. Using the measure criteria, you listed the criteria and assigned each of them points based on their importance (e.g. comfort, speed, etc.). Afterward you can add up their scores in each criterion and decide on a best choice.