Posts Tagged with "decision-making"

#4: Data is not always essential to decision making.

Data, while a valuable tool, should in most cases not be the limiting factor in decision making. The cost involve in moving from 90% confidence to 99% generally outweighs the benefit.Read more →

#4a: Pre-change vs. post-change data.

Consider data available before a change is made (pre-change) and after (post-change).Read more →

#4a1: A vicious cycle of big bets, the virtuous cycle of small bets.

The larger the change, the more confidence you need in that change to offset its risk. Even more so if the change is irreversible. Often, you'll seek to gain confidence by collecting more data to support your decision.Read more →

#4a2: Small bets vs big bets, in practice.

Compare the approaches of making many small bets and making few big bets. In a simple, non-interacting model (unlike our complex world) with infinite time and resources (which you no doubt lack), the expected results of both approaches are the same. The real world is not such a model.Read more →

#8: Decision-making within an organisation.

Decision making within an organisation — deciding areas of focus, making trade-offs — requires broad context to be done well. If you only think of what's best for yourself, your team will suffer. Focusing only on your team similarly produces local benefits but can be a detriment to other teams.Read more →

#8b: Good (and bad) decision-making processes.

As the manager of a team, you have great influence over the decision-making process for any particular decision. This assumes both a clear chain of command and unity of command: your team unambiguously reports to you, and you alone have ultimate decision approval power.Read more →

#8b1: Benevolent dictatorship as a decision-making process.

Alongside consensus building, the other main decision-making process you should use as the leader of a team is the "consult and decide" approach; I prefer to call it "benevolent dictatorship".Read more →

Reference #53: An Elegant Puzzle

To guide decision-making, consider your company (which includes other teams), your own team, and yourself, in that order.Read more →

Reference #195: The First 90 Days

As you rise in an organisation, influence becomes more important than positional authority. This is for two major reasons.Read more →

Reference #255: The First 90 Days

Every organisational structure has trade offs. Your challenge is to find the right balance for your situation.Read more →

Reference #263: The First 90 Days

The extremes of how a team makes decisions are unilateral decision making — where the leader simply makes a call — and unanimous consent.Read more →

Reference #264: The First 90 Days

Most leaders use the following decision-making processes: "consult and decide" and "build consensus".Read more →

Reference #265: The First 90 Days

Using the right decision-making process for your situation is important.Read more →

Reference #266: The First 90 Days

The decision-making process you choose to take must consider your business situation.Read more →

Reference #267: The First 90 Days

Consider explaining to your team which decision-making process you're using and why.Read more →

Reference #268: The First 90 Days

Don't engage in a charade of consensus building.Read more →

Reference #282: The First 90 Days

Social influence is a strong factor in the decisions you make. You are likely to view an initiative more favourably if it is supported by a person you greatly respect.Read more →

Reference #284: The First 90 Days

Early decisions in a process have a disproportionate impact on the eventual outcome. Hence so does the application of early influence.Read more →

Reference #325: Thinking in Systems

Most decisions — individual and institutional — are designed to regulate the levels of stocks. In that way, the world can be seen as a collection of stocks and mechanisms for changing them by manipulating flows. It is a collection of feedback processes.Read more →