The Decision Making Process and Its Characteristics

A clear process makes for better decisions. Two school heads facing the same situation can produce different outcomes based on the process they used to decide. The standard four-step process and the nine characteristics of deliberate decision making are the substance below.

The four-step process

The handout names a four-step process. Other sources use five or six steps; the underlying logic is the same.

1. Define and understand the problem

Identify the main cause for the need to make a decision. May not necessarily be a problem; may be issues or choices to make. Part of this phase is for determining the goal as well; get clear thoughts.

The first step is often skipped. A school head jumps to deciding without being clear about the actual problem.

Two common failure modes:

1. Wrong problem. The principal addresses the visible symptom and misses the underlying cause. Test scores are dropping; she launches a tutoring programme. But the real cause is a weak teacher who needs to be replaced. The tutoring helps a little; the problem stays.
2. Vague problem. “We need to do something about parent satisfaction” is not a problem definition. “Parent satisfaction surveys show that 40 percent feel their concerns are not heard in the first attempt” is a problem definition.

A useful technique: write the problem down in one sentence. If it cannot be written in one sentence, it is not yet defined clearly enough.

2. Create and evaluate alternatives

List appropriate, issue-specific choices. Evaluate options. Gather facts and information about each alternative. Weigh pros and cons; consequences and benefits of each.

The second step is where many school decisions fall short. The decider considers only one or two options. The “decision” becomes whether to do the first thing she thought of.

A discipline: generate at least three options before evaluating any. The third option is often the best, because it requires going beyond the obvious two.

Examples in a school:

1. Problem: low grade-5 mathematics scores. Option A: replace the textbook. Option B: provide teacher training. Option C: reduce class size. Option D: add a daily mathematics support session.
2. Problem: high teacher turnover. Option A: raise pay. Option B: improve working conditions. Option C: change hiring criteria. Option D: invest in development pathways.

Each option is evaluated against the same criteria: cost, time, likely impact, side effects. The evaluation makes the comparison structured.

3. Make the decision

This is a critical step. Only one option is to be selected from the list which is already cut down into the most promising and applicable choices after evaluation. All implications must be made known to all the people involved.

The third step is the actual choice. After evaluation, one option is selected. The reasoning is documented. The people who will be affected are told.

The hardest part of step 3 is letting go of the rejected options. A school head who keeps quietly trying to also implement options B and C while officially having chosen A produces incoherent execution. The choice has to be a choice.

4. Implement the decision

Apply the decision suitably. If it is a solution to an existing problem, then apply the decision to resolve the issue. If it is an opportunity, then apply the chosen alternative to avail that opportunity aptly.

The fourth step is execution. A decision unimplemented is not a decision; it is a fantasy.

Implementation requires the same discipline as planning (covered in the previous chapter). Roles, timelines, resources, accountability. Without these, the decision drifts.

The handout’s process stops at step 4. A complete decision process adds a fifth step:

5. Review (implicit)

After implementation, the decision is reviewed. Did it work? What did we learn? What does this tell us about future decisions?

A school head who reviews her decisions improves her decision making over time. A school head who decides, implements, and moves on without review keeps making the same kinds of mistakes.

Nine characteristics of decision making

The handout names nine characteristics that describe what decision making is and how it should be done.

1. Goal-oriented activity

The objective is always to attain a specific goal.

A decision serves a goal. Without a goal, the decision has no anchor. Before deciding, the decider should be able to name the goal the decision is serving.

2. Alternative courses of action

Need for decision-making is only when alternative ways of performing a task exist.

A decision requires options. Without options, action is required but no decision is needed.

3. Positive or negative

The decision may be positive or negative. Management decision is positive if the request is conceded, and negative if it takes disciplinary action.

A negative decision is still a decision. Saying no to a teacher’s request, denying a fee waiver, declining to launch a programme: each is a real decision with consequences.

4. Deferment

It may also be a decision not to decide. It is always difficult to take a quick decision on a sensitive issue. Immediate yes or no is not always possible.

Deferral can be wise or evasive. Wise deferral happens when more information is needed and a clear trigger exists for when to decide. Evasive deferral happens when the leader simply avoids the discomfort of the choice.

A school head who defers often without setting triggers ends up with a backlog of unmade decisions. A school head who defers deliberately, with a clear timeline, uses deferral well.

5. Both a science and an art

As a science, decision-making requires knowledge of method, and rule or principle concerning the issue or problem. As an art, it requires skill for making the decision a success.

Decision making has structured elements (data, analysis, options) and judgement elements (timing, framing, communication). The science is what can be taught; the art is what is developed through experience.

6. Situational

The decision-maker may make different decisions for the same problem under different situations. A teacher may let a student coming late to enter the class on a particular day but may not allow her on another day.

Context shapes decisions. A consistent decision-maker is not the one who decides the same way every time. She is the one whose decisions can be explained by consistent reasoning, even when the outcomes differ.

7. Voluntary or induced

The decision-maker’s own decision without any pressure is voluntary; spontaneous, made with an open mind. When pressurised, either by individuals or by the situation, the decision becomes induced.

Pressure changes decisions. A school head deciding under board pressure may decide differently than she would alone. Awareness of the pressure helps her account for it.

8. Complexity

Complex mental exercise. Involves careful consideration of the alternative courses of action, evaluation of the same and selection of the best course of action.

Real decisions are complex. Treating them as simple produces oversimplification. A school head who reduces a complex decision to a simple yes-or-no often misses the better option that lives between them.

9. Ongoing activity

Continuous process.

Decision making is not an event. It is what a school head does all day, every day. Improving decision making improves everything.

Flashcard

What is the four-step decision making process, and which step is most often skipped?

Tap to reveal

Answer

Define the problem, create alternatives, make the decision, implement.

The most often skipped step is the first: defining the problem. A school head who jumps to deciding without clearly defining the problem often addresses a symptom rather than the cause.

A useful discipline at each step:

1. Define. Write the problem in one sentence. If you cannot, you have not yet defined it.
2. Alternatives. Generate at least three options before evaluating any.
3. Decide. Make a clear choice and let go of the rejected options.
4. Implement. Roles, timelines, accountability.

Add a fifth implicit step: review. Without review, mistakes repeat.