Framing a decision: 6 ways to help you get it right
As we teach in Decision Mojo, in any significant decision, consider the frame. Get the frame right. Go slow to go fast.
Harvard Business Review just released an article by the chief decision scientist at Google, Cassie Kozyrkov. The article, The First Thing Great Decision Makers Do, zeroes in on the No. 1 skill we teach in Decision Mojo — framing the decision.
According to Kozyrkov, the key to decision-making is framing the decision context before you seek data — a skill that unfortunately is not usually covered in data science courses. It's crucial to set decision criteria in advance of information.
While we agree with Kozyrkov, we also go deeper on the critical skill of “framing the decision” (The “F” in the FIT decision-making process in Decision Mojo). Here are 6 ways you can better examine the context of a decision you're facing:
1. Zoom Up
What is the bigger issue or opportunity this decision is about?
2. Reframe
Can you reframe the problem or opportunity in a way that generates new decision options?
3. Widen
Have you considered more than two options?
4. Classify
Is this a Type 1 (one-way door, irreversible) or Type 2 (two-way door, changeable) decision? Are you doing forever thinking on what potentially could be a Type 2 decision?
5. Calibrate
How much time should be spent on this type of decision?
6. Notice
Is a loss or gain frame potentially skewing the decision?
Other risks
"One major problem with data-inspired decision-making is confirmation bias, which influences how the decision-maker will perceive facts in light of what they already believe," Kozyrkov writes. Beware of moving the goalposts after discovering where the data lands.
Another risk, the article points out, is the Ikea effect (where you overvalue something as a result of having put effort into it). "To avoid falling victim to these effects — to be truly data-driven — order matters! You need to frame the decision context up front."
As we teach in Decision Mojo, in any significant decision, consider the frame. Get the frame right. Go slow to go fast.
- Framing a decision: 6 ways to help you get it right - June 27, 2019
- 6 common decision-making traps and tips to avoid them - January 7, 2019
- Smart decision-making: Are you considering too few options? - September 14, 2018