The Makings of Decisions

I have a great interest in how decisions are made, via Critical Thinking and/or in environments where time pressure, high stakes, expertise, and dynamic situations exist. These can include (but are not limited to) fire command, military operating theatres, chess, stock trading, emergency rooms, and at times, sports.

There are traditional decision analysis approaches emphasizing risk and benefit and another model defined by researchers including Gary Klein in Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions.

In general, two major approaches dominate, the former "recognition primed decision" (RPD) and the other singular (sequential choice) decision making. Domain experts identify or 'see' the best suitable option by virtue of training and experience rather than making 'either or' choices.

For more leisurely choices, the rational choice model (from MIT's Sloan School) has a more "NFL Draft" feel to it:

1) Determine options (e.g. players A-Z)
2) Define characteristics (e.g. size, athleticism, position, production, intelligence, character, etc.)
3) Assign weighting to characteristics (e.g. do not draft if character flawed)
4) Rate the choices
5) Rank and select based on ratings

That is not to say that "intuition" has no role in decision-making...but certainly lacks quantitation.

As a coach myself, I work to understand the many inputs that go into determining strategy, preparation and practice, lineup selection, and motivation. Coaching the Mental Game is one useful resource for coaches and The Politics of Coaching an excellent analysis of coaching dynamics that would benefit every coach and parent.

Melrose has a remarkable streak on the line, with ten consecutive sectional Division 2 North championship appearances including seven wins. A lot of people have ownership, including the coaches, players, parents and families, and community support. It's never easy.