Have you ever had the experience of shopping for a single item with someone and watching them agonize over the vast selection of brands, sizes, and features available to us these days? Has it occurred to you how much faster the process and how much happier that person would be if there was only a single option? Limited options may mean they don’t get exactly what they need, but it can spare them the paralysis of trying to make the perfect decision.
My personal experience shopping is the exact opposite. I walk into an aisle, grab a brand that I’m familiar with or, barring that, the first thing that looks like it might possibly do the job. I’ll admit to getting the entirely wrong thing more than once and having to make a return trip to the store, but I’ve never stood there, frozen in place, trying to decipher the endless options on offer.
Have you seen this dynamic at work, possibly working with people who know what can be done, but can’t decide which option to pursue? Alternately, have you worked with people who don’t necessarily understand what’s going on, but have no problem making a decision that they don’t fully understand? I suspect these behaviors are related to a person’s comfort with uncertainty, but I think it goes beyond that simplistic view. My experience is that these behaviors aren’t binary, but seems to exist on a continuum, with people displaying varying degrees of one of these behaviors.
Comfort is Emotional
Which type of person is better on a team? Which behavior is going to be more productive in the long-run? I think like most things, it’s about moderation. If you’re someone who can reasonably balance the risks of a hasty decision with the risks of delaying that decision, then congratulations! You’re probably really good at satisficing, which is the optimal way to make decisions.
The problem is that many people aren’t good at satisficing, and being aware that they should approach decision making a different way doesn’t help. Try telling that friend of yours in the grocery store to just make a decision and that it’ll probably be fine doesn’t work. Comfort with decision making isn’t a conscious choice, it’s an emotional one. Some people have far more fear, and others far less, of making a suboptimal decision than is reasonable.
How do you get someone to realign their emotional approach to decision making, and make them more or less comfortable than they naturally are? I’m sure there are professionally written studies on this very process by learned academics, but I’ve never successfully been able to either modify my own approach to decision making or that of others.
Complementary Pieces
What has worked for me is identifying my own tendencies so I could understand the potential problems with following my instincts. I’ve always been far too comfortable making decisions, insignificant or otherwise, and this has gotten myself and my team in trouble on occasion. I’ve compensated by seeking out others who tend to the other side of the spectrum, people who agonize over the risks, and whose opinion I respect. Whenever I have a decision to make that has potential consequences, I check with these people to make sure that I evaluated the risks properly, and that my decision isn’t reckless.
I also know that people who have difficulty committing to a decision have sought my advice for the same reason. They have usually thought through all of the consequences and have a very firm grasp of all of the possible outcomes, they’re looking for permissions to make the final decision that they already know is right. I’m the complementary piece of those people’s decision making network.
I believe that building a network of people you respect, and complement your tendencies is very beneficial in any aspect of work, but it has definitely been so for me with decision making. Whether you are paralyzed by options or not giving the consequences of a decision the respect they deserve, don’t despair! Make it a habit of checking your work with someone who approaches decision making differently than you. You’ll both be more effective together than either of you alone.