Decision making and problem solving

Solving problems often involves decision making so the two are interlinked.

We make decisions every day at work and in our private lives, often unconsciously.

We all know people whom we label 'indecisive', who have difficulty in coming to a decision. For everyone at times, a problem can seem overwhelming, there are so many factors and variables.   

Formal decision-making

Formal decision-making in organisations often involves committees or groups exploring the issue, discussing and agreeing a way forward and recording the resulting decision.   

Whether making a decision in a group or individually it helps to use a method which enables you to:

• define and clarify the issue
• free up your thinking and be more creative
• generate options or possibilities you might not have considered before
• analyse the situation objectively
• compare and contrast different options from a variety of perspectives
• justify any decision you finally make
• record (or remember) why you made an earlier decision.

Decision-making and problem-solving tools, techniques and resources 

Osborne-Parnes framework for decision making & problem solving

The Osborne-Parnes Creative Problem solving process breaks down the activity into six stages:

• objective finding: identify goal, wish, challenge
• fact finding: gather data
• problem finding: clarify the problem
• idea finding: generate ideas
• solution finding: select and strengthen solutions
• acceptance finding: plan for action.

There are many other tools and techniques which can assist you with problem solving and decision making. Some are more complex than others. All have their limitations. It helps to to use more than one to analyse your current issue.

• MindTools offers a range of tools on problem solving and creativity from very simple techniques to what they call 'industrial strength' ones. If you start with the simpler tools, you can build your confidence to try out the more complex ones.  
• Business Balls has a range of techniques to help you consider options and make decisions including a template for the 'pros and cons' method which adds a weighting option.
• Some tools encourage you be more creative in your thinking.  Have a look at Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats which helps you consider the effects of a decision from different points of view.
• 'Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions And How To Keep It From Happening to You' by S Finkelstein, J Whitehead, A Campbell (Harvard Business Press, 2009). This is a book that considers the other side of the issue and offers four safeguards to avoid making poor decisions:

1. provide decision makers with new experience or data to avoid the risk of failure at source
2. introduce group debate and challenge to the prevailing view
3. have better governance – formal procedures and structures that ensure that decisions are tested
4. have better monitoring of on-going decisions

And after making your decision...

Remember to put in place some form of review process to consider the results of your decisions after they have been implemented. Reflect on how you came to the decision:

• What worked well and not so well?
• What would you do differently if faced with the same problem again?
• What have you learnt from the experience?

Have your say

What decision making process do you use?  A particular method or a structure?  Why does this work so well for you? How much does intuition play in the way you make decisions? Do you make decisions differently in your work and private life?

Talk to others on the Your professional development forum.