Decision Making at the Sharp End
What do premier football league referees, Barack Obama, managing directors, fighter pilots and police officers have in common? They all bear responsibility for their decisions, whether they turn out to be the right ones or not.
The U.S. President said of his decision regarding Osama Bin Laden’s fate – “I made the decision Thursday night and then we flew off to look at the tornado damage, to go to Cape Canaveral to make a speech. Then we had the White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night.” – “(The decision) this was in the back of my mind all weekend.”
In most cases, these people are selected for their ability to make, even unpopular, decisions. They understand the importance of knowing which information to gather, how to process it and apply it to the Decision Thinking which must precede Decision Making. The rider to this is that often the best decisions combine information and intuition.
Snap decisions are fine, as long as the decision-maker has sufficient experience and knowledge to get it right. This is why police officers are thoroughly trained by means of simulation exercises, case studies, and in some cases, rehearsals.
Decisive personalities have an Internal Locus of Control which means they choose to take control over what happens, they are readier to make things happen, they are not averse to risk-taking; consequently they are more decisive
Some people find decision-making difficult because they are not used to it, they may be risk- aversive or passive, preferring others to decide. The good news is that decision-making, like other skills, can be learned.
Where the consequences of a wrong decision are serious, for example in situations which threaten life, health, security or employment, decisions should be carefully considered and the possible outcomes taken into account.
Decisiveness is called for in many middle management and all senior management roles, especially in fast-moving, fast-changing environments; jobs which impact on life and the well-being of others such as surgeons; fighter pilots; police officers. Being decisive also requires the ability to refuse to make decisions, even when under extreme time pressure, until all the relevant facts are known, for example, a referee deferring a decision until after a touch line conference and viewing a televised replay.
Vital decisions should never be postponed – make them promptly, while simultaneously considering possible negative consequences and benefits of the decision. Unthinking snap decisions only pave the way to disaster; which is why stable and mature decision makers are good listeners.
Ben Williams is a leading Chartered Psychologist who advises corporations on decision-making
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