Chapter 18. Determining a Decision-Making Strategy

After you have thought through a problem or opportunity and considered various action possibilities, how will you reach a decision when others are involved? How will you engage others in a decision whose outcome affects them? To think clearly about these questions, first you need to discriminate between strategy and process.

A decision-making strategy articulates intention—goals and values—and defines constraints—resources, time, level of interpersonal skill among potential decision-makers, and need for confidentiality. A strategy works when it yields an intended outcome in a timely and cost-effective manner and is accepted by the people whose energy is needed for implementation. Strategy dictates how a decision will be made and launches the actual decision-making process.