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DECISION MAKING
Jeff Fisher
Good decisions come from
experience. Experience comes
from making bad decisions.
Mark Twain
Learning Objectives
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Understand how decisions are made
Know the challenges to decision making
Understand your decision making style
Learn some tools to overcome
challenges
THREE VENUES FOR DECISIONS
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Individual
Group
Public Process
When faced with a decision, ask
yourself:
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What am I trying to accomplish?
Is this consistent with my (team or agency)
priorities/values?
Is this within my area of competence?
Can someone else do it better?
What do my trusted friends (peers or
subordinates) say?
Do I have time?
BASIC PROCESS
Influences
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Biases can determine
choice and even data
collected
Personality affects decision
making style
Emotion
Age or Experience
Sometimes there is not
enough data or time
External pressures
LIMITING THE EFFECT OF BIASES
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Remind yourself of the desired outcome or objective
Recognize that we all have biases
Solicit input from others- supervisor,
staff, citizen, attorney
Pros & Cons for each option
What is the right or best option?
DECISION MAKING STYLE
DIRECTIVE
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INFLUENCING
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SOCIABLE
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CAUTIOUS
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Decisive by nature
Too quick to judge
Motivates excellence
Vague
Seeks consensus
Avoids controversy
Detailed Analysis
Paralysis
LIMITED DATA/TIME
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Develop skill of approximating
Develop your critical thinking skills
Intuition
Simple evaluation & simple solutions when possible
Develop comfort with levels of confidence
Cautious personality types will seldom be comfortable
with limited data - don’t wait for them
Be resourceful- benchmarking, find the expertise or
knowledge
Question all urgency
CREATIVITY & DECISION
MAKING
Creativity can expand options to consider
Decision Making narrows options to consider
TOOLS FOR CREATIVITY
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If you are not naturally creative, that’s
ok…find someone that is and ask them
even if it is a subordinate
Brainstorming- more than just you
Literature & Benchmarking
INFLUENCING THE DECISION
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Focus on answering this question: Who
decides?
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Construct the framework- be the expert
when needed
Be holistic when possible- consider
others or broader issues
Pick the battlefield on which you have
the advantage
Include stakeholders
Ask questions that influence and direct
Exercise
Groups of 5
The City has not given raises for 3 years. The new mayor
has given staff the directive to determine the best strategy
to give all employees a raise of 2.5%. However, he also says
the reserves cannot go below 15% and they are currently at
15.1% that means there is only about 1/3 of the money
required. Healthcare is going up by 12%. Layoffs were
implemented 2 years ago. Training is at its lowest levels and
there are critical equipment purchases that need to be made.
You are the City Manager. What will the decision process
look like and what will be your strategy to make the raises
happen?
Make wise decisions based on
best information available, best
resources, intuition, that are in
line with your values, and in a
timely manner
Pause – Crawl – Walk – Run