15 Obstacles to Making Decisions

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15 Obstacles to Making Decisions

What kinds of obstacles do you know to making (correct) decisions?
Here is my collection of common reasons which may or will lead to bad decisions. I am looking forward to hearing your further obstacles and experiences about them.
1. "Gambler's fallacy" (Daniel Chen (ETH Zurich) - a kind of misbelief in compensatory justice)
2. Coincidences
3. Weakness. Jeff Bezos: "At 5 pm I can no longer think about important things. We then try to tackle something like this again the next day at 10 A. M. / Three good decisions a day.. Are quite enough."
4. Constant distraction (mobile phones, emails)
5. Lack of information
6. Multitasking (Book "The Organized Mind:.." by Daniel J. Levitin)
7. Emotions
8. Hectic
9. Analysis-paralysis (there is never an end to the amount of information)
10. Supporters (Not talk to critics to hear other arguments)
11. Source of information (Is this your own analysis or is it from a team with different approaches and interests?!)
12. Forget asking 3x why (the problem, not itssymptoms must be solved)
13. Lonely decisions (trust your team!)
14. Ask Noobs (Important to seek advice from people who have faced the same problem before!)
15. Missing asymmetry (who set the definition of alternatives + who decided what alternatives are (un)equal?).

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		9 Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Identifying the Decisions For me the biggest obstacles to making decisions lie in A) Defining the correct issue or problem B) Knowing what decisions need to be taken to provide a solution, and then C) Having sufficient relevant and valid evidence and facts to guide or support the decision. The urgency and size of the decisions influence the time and effort required to properly evaluate potential options and then commit to an action pathway. I have noticed that not all managers are aware of the quality of information they act on. This can set them up to fail.

		2 Carsten Thies Manager, Germany
	Make Better Decisions with the Right People @Helen Strong: I completely agree with Helen. However, I would like to make an extension to C). In the VUCA-world we have turned to delegate responsibility to TEAMS rather than single managers in hierarchical structures. Teams work closely with the market and customers and are better able to integrate all the relevant information on different factors to make good decisions. However, the changes involved put a giant challenge to the coporate culture.

		2 Dato Dr. Mohd Norfaizin Bin Hj. Md Salleh AFA Director, Malaysia
	Making Decisions, are You the Solution or the Problem I would agree with Helen Strong to a certain extent. It is highly crucial in any decision making for you to first understand what is going on. What is the root cause of any decision that you are about to make. Firstly, I believe in analyzing any circumstances that require your decision you have to see where you stand. Would you like to be part of the solution or part of the problem. Kindly remember that we are talking about making a decision here and not problem solving. More often than not, we make a decision to be a solution to what is happening. For example there is a problem that we need to solve. If that is the case, you just simply look at the root cause of the problem and find means to solve it. Sometimes there are times where you would like to be part of the problem. For instance, if you perform above average and you're promoted as a Team Leader in some God forsaken place that nobody wants to go. In this case you will obviously choose not to go, although you're able.

		1 Anonymous
	3 Focuses for Good Decision Making A course I just took called "Decision Mojo" says there are three focuses for good decision making: - Get the right frame for what’s being decided. - Analyze and manage the decision’s information eco-system. - Have a decision team that has diverse viewpoints.

		5 Gandhi Heryanto Management Consultant, Indonesia
	Cultural Barriers to Decision Making Each organization has its own unique culture of decision making that will determine its style. This is based on values and beliefs that underlie the decision making process. That's why organizational culture can be a barrier to decision making. For example a rigid mentality of top management and subordinates can be an huge obstacle for managers to make positive amendments even if they wants to do it.

		1 Santarelli Management Consultant, France
	Preparation and Ritualization of Decisions Hello, I agree with has been said. Good decisions (rapidly made, robust, broadly understood, implemented) are those that have been well documented and prepared prior to the decision-making. As a consequence one has to be clear on: - What the decision is about - What is the set of indisputable decision criteria - Who is in charge of documenting the decision (he might be considered as the decision maker as she / he will make a recommendation among the options, based on the assessment over the selected criteria) => decision folder - Who will be consulted (as an expert or as someone who will be in charge of implementing the decision) - Who are the decision makers to whom the decision folder will be presented - How can the decision making process be ritualized - Who needs to be informed beforehand in the decision-makers' circle to ensure a smooth and effective decision-making.

		1 Krista Decat Manager, Belgium
	4 Conditions for Decisions in VUCA Circumstances Decision making is not so simple at all in this VUCA world, especially when you have the intention to adopt a broader perspective, which is a very quick way to reveal the volatility of the dynamics. The attempt to gather information to make more sense of the situation, confronts us with the ambiguity of it. This confusing insights add new layers of complexity to our already complex modern society, feeding the uncertainties to such a high level that decision making is becoming uncomfortable. To deliver outcomes effectively, we need new rules for decision making, which also include the appreciation of environmental services and of sustaining the good practices while keeping the conditions to constantly developing, in contrast to rigidity. Getting contextual information about the 4 dimensions that frame change: - Time span (short or long term) - Intent - Temporal scope (reactive or anticipatory) - Boundaries (what to include or not) are vital to get a grasp on VUCA and make the right decisions.

		3 Herman Heyman Consultant, Belgium
	Obstacles to Making Decisions - Not understanding the context (well enough) - Inability to foresee the impact of the decision - Having to wait on others to contribute their necessary bit (which may be a mix of ones' impatience a...

		3 George Kampango Malawi
	15 Obstacles to Making Decisions: Lonely Decisions I am thinking about 'Lonely Decisions', which is being associated with 'your team'. Yes, this can indeed be an obstacle to making decisions. I think that certain lonely decisions are made because of ...

		1 Manoj Rambajan (MBA) Mauritius
	Intuition, Determination & Commitment in Decision-making Whatever has been said above is all relevant as all these factors heavily impact the decision making process. It is crucial to be aware of the consequences of any decision, particularly when it affec...

		2 TARIQ MAHMOOD Pakistan
	Missing Spirit of Justice In my opinion, the biggest problem in decision making process is that we do not understand the concept of JUSTICE. It must be understood in the large perspective; how the decision is going to effect h...

		1 Napokoli Henry Project Manager, Uganda
	Different Perspective of the Decision Maker and the Affected Parties An obstacle can also be the difference in perspective of what is considered a right decision especially when a team is involved. You might not be in position to conclusively explain why you take a par...

		2 evelyn dempsey Student (Other), United States
	Avoid Solo Decision Making @Mohd Norfaizin Bin Hj. Md Salleh AFA (UK): I agree with your assessment that there are times a decision is made to solve a problem based on 1 assumption from the person who made the decision. Leade...

		3 Wim Coach, Belgium
	Too Much CO2 in the Room Impedes Good Decision-making In 2012, group of researchers assessed direct effects of increased CO2, within the range of indoor concentrations, on decision making. it was found that indeed adverse effects of CO2 on human perform...

		1 Paramathmuni srinivas Kumar India
	Obstacles to Decision Making A clear inner being helps in good decision making... If the inner being is agitated due to presence of wrong tendencies then these impede good decision making. One needs to prepare an important decisi...

		3 Matthias Bittrich Business Consultant, Germany
	Obstacles to Making Decisions Summary Thanks for all your great ideas and experiences, all of them are helpful for us, the community! @Evelyn dempsey: In German we have a saying "Competition stimulates business". But societies change pi...

		0 Omar Bawajeeh Saudi Arabia
	They are Not Obstacles! @Helen Strong: What I've read are aids for making good decisions - not obstacles 😃....

		2 Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Sufficient Background @Omar Bawajeeh: agreed... But my point is if they are lacking then they are obstacles to making a decision....

		2 Maurice Hogarth Consultant, United Kingdom
	Obstacles to Making Decisions or Not I'm of a similar mind to @Omar Bawajeeh. Many of the points made are not obstacles to decision making or taking. They are reasons for poor decision making. I would suggest that, in disagreement with ...