Career Development Centre (CDC) > Critical Thinking

Decision Making

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Jannatul Ferdous:
4. Weighing up the Risks Involved

One key question is how much risk should be taken in making the decision? Generally, the amount of risk an individual is willing to take depends on:
•   The seriousness of the consequences of taking the wrong decision.
•   The benefits of making the right decision.
•   Not only how bad the worst outcome might be, but also how likely that outcome is to happen.
It is also useful to consider what the risk of the worst possible outcome occurring might be, and to decide if the risk is acceptable.  The choice can be between going ‘all out for success’ or taking a safe decision.

Jannatul Ferdous:
5. Deciding on Values

Everybody has their own unique set of values: what they believe to be important. The decisions that you make will, ultimately, be based on your values. That means that the decision that is right for you may not be right for someone else.
If the responsibility for a decision is shared, it is therefore possible that one person might not have the same values as the others.
In such cases, it is important to obtain a consensus as to which values are to be given the most weight.  It is important that the values on which a decision is made are understood because they will have a strong influence on the final choice.

Jannatul Ferdous:
6. Weighing up the Pros and Cons

It is possible to compare different solutions and options by considering the possible advantages and disadvantages of each.

Some organisations have a formal process that is required at this stage, including a financial assessment, so check beforehand if you are making a decision at work.


One good way to do this is to use a 'balance sheet', weighing up the pros and cons (benefits and costs) associated with that solution. Try to consider each aspect of the situation in turn, and identify both good and bad.
For example, start with costs, then move onto staffing aspects, then perhaps presentational issues.
Having listed the pros and cons, it may be possible to immediately decide which option is best. However, it may also be useful to rate each of the pros and cons on a simple 1 to 10 scale (with 10 - most important to 1 - least important).
In scoring each of the pros and cons it helps to take into account how important each item on the list is in meeting the agreed values.  This balance sheet approach allows this to be taken into account, and presents it in a clear and straightforward manner.

Jannatul Ferdous:
7. Making the Decision

Finally, it’s time to actually make the decision!
Your information-gathering should have provided sufficient data on which to base a decision, and you now know the advantages and disadvantages of each option. It is, as the television programme Opportunity Knocks had it, ‘Make Your Mind Up Time’.

Warning!
You may get to this stage, and have a clear ‘winner’ but still feel uncomfortable. If that is the case, don’t be afraid to revisit the process. You may not have listed all the pros and cons, or you may have placed an unsuitable weighting on one factor.
Your intuition or ‘gut feeling’ is a strong indicator of whether the decision is right for you and fits with your values.


If possible, it is best to allow time to reflect on a decision once it has been reached.  It is preferable to sleep on it before announcing it to others.  Once a decision is made public, it is very difficult to change.
For important decisions it is worth always keeping a record of the steps you followed in the decision-making process. That way, if you are ever criticised for making a bad decision you can justify your thoughts based on the information and processes you used at the time. Furthermore, by keeping a record and engaging with the decision-making process, you will be strengthening your understanding of how it works, which can make future decisions easier to manage.

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