Decision making – an important part of life and work
(based on Robert Heller, " How to make decisions" - 1999)

Research, adaptation and comments by Ana Cristina da Palma Camargo
Translation by Cristiana Assumpcao Baggio

To develop any enterprise, simple or complex, it is necessary to constantly make decisions, that is, you must assume the responsibility for making a judgment, many times difficult, between two options.

In the Pioneer Project, we have many opportunities to make decisions, and we should use the opportunity to study about how to do this in a conscious manner. 

Let’s look at some steps shown by Robert Heller, in the magazine Management Today (1999):

ANALYSIS OF THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS
Identifying the question What exactly has to be decided?
Analysis What are the alternatives?
Evaluating the options What are the pros and cons of each one?
Identifying the options What is the best alternative?
Implementation project What should be done to implement what was decided?

 It is important to note that in the analysis and evaluation steps, the references are fundamental for scientific projects such as Pioneer, for they will become the support for our arguments. Without them, the decisions may lose their scientific importance. 

Evaluate the past and argue your decisions

There is a general tendency to repeat errors of the past – what can lead to a good performance, since repetition improves efficiency. In some points, though, a decision that was right in the past could need to be adapted to become satisfactory today. 

Let’s think about some examples closer to the project. 

1. The choice of type of organization of the colony’s government – democracy, communism, socialism, etc. It is necessary to study really well each model, the time and place where they were applied, and what worked or not (problems). Which of these is most frequent in our planet and the reason for that could also help in making the choice. Ethical aspects are also important in this topic! 

2. The choice of the energy source in Mars – nuclear, geothermal, wind, biodigestors, etc. In this point we can specially verify that the students pointed to advantages and disadvantages for these sources, but there was a lack of deeper research, and therefore, in their arguments pro or con. Several steps were skipped or neglected, such as research about each of these sources, more details about advantages and disadvantages, comparison between them and argumentation founded on references, so that then they could choose the best alternative. 

3. Who should go to Mars – children, adults, elderly... – For this decision, advantages and disadvantages should be researched for each age group, and this not only involves cognitive aspects (knowledge acquired, life experience), but also psychological aspects, health , resistance, importance to the group, etc. It would be very interesting to have a consultant (psychologist, doctor – geriatrics, pediatrics, generic), that could indicate texts and bibliographies that would be more specific, if that were the case. Think about other aspects that you think are important in this discussion and tell your ideas to the group! 

The importance of intuition and logic

Robert Heller makes an interesting comparison between rational and intuitive thinking.
Rational Thought Intuitive Thought
Uses knowledge, skills and experiences. Reaches conclusions by intuition.
Uses logic to reach conclusions. Influenced by emotion and sensitivity.
Analysis of the questions to understand the global picture. Uses imagination to create new ideas.

To make decisions, the author says that ideally we should try to balance both sides, the intuitive, that uses more creativity and spontaneity, and the rational, based on judgment and analysis of the facts. 

In the project in which we’re participating, it’s very important to base ourselves on facts, but also in our imagination, once we are talking about something which may or may not occur in the future. We must just be careful not to exaggerate on the intuition, making our arguments too superfluous. 

Scientific knowledge should always support our imagination in the project, serving as a reference to an acceptable line of thought.

The TIME factor

When making a decision, remember that the quality of planning and execution should be the central points. But don’t forget to consider the TIME factor. The group should reach their conclusions without unnecessary rush, but also without unjustifiable delays. The time for decisions is defined by the time required to gather information and evaluate the questions to be answered. To act under pressure of time can be a benefit: the mind becomes more focused and concentrated and the number of alternatives to be considered are reduced. 

Observe the project schedule and organize your group in order to respect the deadlines established.

Obtaining information

Today we have tons of information. It is difficult to select them and work with them according to our current objectives. Look at the table below, based on Robert Heller (1999), with alterations:

With whom obtain information
Sources Factors to Consider
Resources available at school: includes library, the teachers of different subjects, classmates and researchers (some teachers are researchers).
  • Good starting point to start collecting information.
  • Can require too much time if you need to do a lot of research to find just a few important facts.
  • Depends on the collaboration of colleagues.
External sources: covers friends, contacts, events, printed reports and publications. 
  • Useful ideas and suggestions may come from people at all levels in the school. 
  • It may be difficult to thoroughly explore the large numbers of informal and individual sources.
  • Lack of reliable references for the information obtained. It is necessary to prove the validity of the ideas and collected information. 
  • In the case of publications and printed reports, not always the information is correct.
Specialists: are the external consultants (researchers). 
  • The level of specialty should be high. 
  • The discovery of important data can take a long time. 
  • Proposals and references require careful checking. 
Electronic Media: includes the Internet, the Intranet, computer networks and all the online information services.
  • The world network and similar sources offer a great quantity of information – maybe even too much! 
  • Some links may take to long to load in peak hours. 
  • The information is not always available or correct. 

Based on this table, we can conclude that collecting information is not an easy step. 

Look at some tips by Robert Heller (with alterations and adaptations for the Pioneer Project), that can help you in this job:

  1. You need to evaluate your needs before starting the research. Observe the general and specific objectives of your group and of the project as a whole.

  2. File interesting data for future use (with references!).

  3. Make a mobile file (folder) with articles for reference, newspaper articles and reports, to take to your group meetings.

  4. When searching for material, analyze the general problems and also the specific details.

Good Luck!