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Embarking on the DQ Journey
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
—Lao Tzu
Every serious campaign of improvement is a journey. Over its course, attitudes and expectations are bound to change. Old outmoded habits and practices are set aside, making way for new and better ones. New skills are learned. Encounters with potholes and obstacles, however, are inevitable, and we will periodically go astray in our travels, delaying progress. But every success, even a small one, will direct us along the path to a better place. The decision quality (DQ) journey—the venture to make DQ a habit and an organizational competence—is no different, and the rewards at the end make it all worthwhile.
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This book provides the understanding needed to advance one's journey to DQ. It explains the important distinction between good decisions and good outcomes. It presents the six requirements for DQ—an appropriate frame, creative alternatives, and so forth. The goal is to reach 100%—the point where it isn't worth the time or resources to do more—on each requirement. Once we have reached 100% on all six requirements, we can make the decision with confidence, knowing that regardless of the eventual outcome, we have achieved DQ. DQ gives us peace of mind in the face of uncertainty.
On the journey, complexity and uncertainty will surely test our mettle as decision makers. The tools offered in various chapters—the decision hierarchy, decision tree, relevance diagram, tornado diagram, and others—help us navigate the complexity and uncertainty of significant and strategic choices. Just as challenging are the biases that each of us brings to the effort. These misconceptions distort our perceptions and color our judgments. We might think to ourselves:
- “I'm already a great decision maker. I should just follow my instincts.”
- “The first option we thought of is good enough. Let's go with it and be decisive.”
- “Everyone agrees on Alternative C, so that's obviously the best choice.”
If we are seduced by any of these thoughts, our decision will not be high quality, but if we boost our awareness and take the preventative actions outlined in this book, we can avoid the many decision traps on our journey.
An important prevention is using one of the processes designed to get us to our destination of DQ. The DQ Appraisal Cycle is a fast, iterative process, ideal for making our many significant decisions. The Dialogue Decision Process (DDP) is a systematic, deliberative dialogue between decision makers and project team members, building alignment among stakeholders across the organization. Decision professionals routinely apply the DDP to good effect in companies facing high-risk, big-bet strategic decisions. When the right people are involved in the DDP, we achieve clarity on the best choice, and we build the commitment that avoids the decision failures that so often show up in execution.
What Next?
It's usually easier to understand something than to do it. This is especially true when we want to change long-standing habits about making choices. As experienced decision makers, we often have high self-confidence, and strong beliefs about how we do things. Even implementing DQ for our personal decisions can be a challenge, but once we get it and make the mental shift to DQ, we won't look back. We won't be satisfied with good enough when we have a way of getting significantly more of what we truly want.
So where should one begin? Many people begin by applying DQ to improve their own decisions. This can be done by starting with a significant decision, one without a lot of complexity, and using the DQ Appraisal Cycle. When needed, other experienced DQ practitioners—perhaps even decision professionals in the workplace—can help with information, decision trees, and so forth. As confidence and skills are built, more and more complex decisions can be tackled.
Decision quality is a lot like Carnegie Hall; the way to get there is practice, practice, practice. Those who use DQ routinely, and who seek guidance from experienced professionals, build their own skills and the skills of those with whom they engage on decisions. A well-trained individual can apply DQ in the workplace and also among family and friends with difficult personal and life choices. Imagine the value that DQ can bring to decisions about medical issues, college and career choices, important purchases, aging family members, and even life partners. The opportunities—and the potential value—are endless.
If we want to transform the decisions that involve others in our organizations, we must encourage them to learn about DQ and to use it on decisions we make together. Finding a tough decision to tackle with the support of a DQ professional will not only create value for the organization, but will also debunk the widely held and dangerous illusion that people are inherently good decisions makers. Once the value of DQ is recognized, organizational capabilities can be further developed and successful applications can spread, perhaps even leading to organizational DQ, as described in the previous chapter.
Many resources are available for expanding DQ skills and capabilities. Strategic Decisions Group (www.sdg.com) sponsors webinars and executive briefings and offers in-person and online training. It also provides consulting support for strategic decisions as well as advanced training for decision support staff members who seek the analytical tools and facilitative leadership competencies of decision professionals. The Society of Decision Professionals (www.decisionprofessionals.com) offers information about the community of DQ practitioners and the Raiffa-Howard Award for organizational DQ. Stanford University's certificate program in Strategic Decision and Risk Management (strategicdecisions.stanford.edu) offers training for both leaders and practitioners. Finally, the Decision Education Foundation (www.decisioneducation.org) offers resources and provides volunteer opportunities to bring decision skills to youth according to their motto: “Better Decisions. Better Lives.”
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For some readers, the DQ framework will fill a void that they have been searching to fill. Those who are moved by the power of DQ often say: “This is really what I have been trying to do along; I just didn't have the whole framework. I wish had learned about DQ much earlier in my life.” These enthusiasts will join the ranks of DQ champions who are working to make the common sense of DQ truly common in practice. These champions, working with the authors and their colleagues at SDG and in the Society of Decision Professionals, have the potential to improve the world through better decision making for individuals and families, businesses and organizations, and society as a whole.
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The authors wish you a successful journey.