12 Ways to Make Bad Decisions
There are three things that astound me about most organizations: The cro-magnon way performance reviews are done; the pitiful way brainstorm sessions are run and; the voo doo way decisions are made.
What follows is an elaboration of the third -- 12 common phenomena that contribute to funky decision making. As you read, think of the teams you work most closely with, which of these behaviors describes them, and what you can do to change the game.
1. Selective Search for Evidence: Gathering facts that support pre-determined conclusions, but disregard other facts that support different conclusions.
2. Premature Termination of Search for Evidence: Accepting the first alternative that looks like it might work.
3. Inertia: Being unwilling to change old thought patterns.
4. Selective Perception: Prematurely screening out information not assumed to be useful.
5. Wishful Thinking: Wanting to see things in a positive light.
6. Recency Effect: Putting undue attention on recent information and experience while minimizing the value of information collected in the past.
7. Repetition Bias: Believing what's been stated the most often and by the greatest number of sources.
8. Anchoring and Adjustment: Being unduly influenced by initial information that shapes your view of subsequent information.
9. Group Think: Conforming to peer pressure or the opinions of the majority.
10. Source Credibility: Rejecting input from sources prematurely judged to not be credible (or not "cool" or "in sync with the way you do business.")
11. Attribution Asymmetry: Attributing success to your team's abilities and talents, but attributing failures to bad luck and external factors.
12. Role Fulfillment: Conforming to the decision making expectations others have of someone in your position.
In what ways might you improve your team's decision making process?
Comments
Mitch, as usual your writing is halarious and too humblingly true. Far to often, positional leaders circumvent the very process they expound on in long meetings, only to show short-sightedness will outlast us all. Keep turing on the lights Mitch, we'll see the light soon!
Posted by: David Sollars ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](https://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 28, 2011 07:02 AM
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