Decision Making and Decision Taking: Why do we not notice the difference
In some of my other blog posts I make a clear distinction between decision making and decision taking. When we make a decision we (literally) construct that decision: decision making is decision construction. When we take a decision we commit to action: decision...The six frogs and decision making
Here is a question for you: There are six frogs on a wall. Two frogs decide to jump off. How many frogs are now on the wall? OK, I’ll save you the embarrassment: there are six. Why? The two frogs only decided to jump off; they did not actually jump off. Sorry!...Helpfully stolen accountability – a lesson in delegation, accountability and decision making control
Let me tell you the story of the curious case of missing financial control. In one organisation we worked with, the objective was to develop the autonomy and capability of various business units, located in separate properties around the country. The company ran...Strategy does not exist without tensions
Many years ago I realised something while working with clients on their strategy. I realised that there were points in the strategy process and in strategy workshops, when the strategy, as explored, discussed and articulated, was clearly NOT complete. We did not...How to avoid quick consensus leading to bad decisions
We like decisive decision making. However we often see that quick consensus leads to bad decisions. In a team situation, forcing quick consensus can easily lead to taking bad decisions. To avoid this, effective decision makers even organise dissent to improve the...Balanced Scorecards and steering wheels
As you browse the web or read articles you will come across various Balanced Scorecards as steering wheels, jigsaw puzzles or other symbolic pictures. The Tesco Steering wheel is well known. In this article I want to explore why these balanced scorecards and steering...Test a Balanced Scorecard to see if it is useful
How do you test a balanced scorecard to see if it will be informative, useful and effective? With over 20 years experience designing and implementing balanced scorecards I have one key test that usually reveals how the balanced scorecard has been designed and is...Read moreSymbolic strategy maps present the strategy as a simpler picture than the full, detailed strategy map.