Don’t believe everything you think!
A toolbox for better decisions in complex situations

As humans, we make decisions based on information delivered by our perception. Our perception, in turn, is shaped by our values, principles and assumptions. As such, it is also error-prone: it acts as a filter, which means we only perceive those elements of information
that slot neatly into our existing mental models.

Fast thinking is our natural mode of thinking. Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman has shown how fast thinking reliably produces good results on familiar terrain – but that that is where its usefulness ends. In situations that are ‘non-routine’ for their respective participants – such as those we experience every day in the corporate environment – fast thinking frequently leads to perceptual distortions. In a complex environment, experiential knowledge cannot be relied upon alone. Instead, the fast-paced VUKA world demands ‘slow thinking’: an opposite mode of thinking that, if used correctly, can enable more effective use of time more through the systematic, deliberate analysis of information.

In this workbook for practitioners, Frank Habermann and Karen Schmidt guide readers to sharpen their perception in complex decision-making situations and follow an effective process. They equip readers with a range of tools and techniques, focusing on genuinely viable solutions and approaches that flourish under the pressure of everyday business. By applying the authors’ fundamental concepts, decision-makers in organisations are empowered to blaze a trail with good decisions.

We are all faced with big decisions. This book shows how they are better made together.