We make decisions every day, and you’ll have to make decisions during your DEIA journey.

• Is the organization ready to move forward with implementing a cultural shift and embracing DEI?
• How will you engage people within the organization?
• How do you evaluate the leaders of the organization to drive DEIA?
• How do you uncover the inequities within the organization?
• What type of branding and marketing shifts does leadership need to take to ensure external stakeholders understand the organization’s commitment to DEIA?
• There are an unending number of questions to be discussed and decisions to be made!

During the Decision making is the process of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions. When it is time to make any decisions, it’s important to utilize a decision-making framework. Decision-making tools will help you approach problem-solving effectively. Let’s first talk about a standard, and effective process:

Step 1: Identify the “thing” that needs a decision

• Try to clearly define the decision that needs to be made. And when there are multiple decisions, unless they have dependencies on each other, make the decisions separately.

Step 2: Gather relevant information

• Collect all of the information that is needed from both internal and external areas. You may find sources online, thru people in the office, from people in the community, from best practices in your industry and other sources.

Step 3: Conduct a root cause analysis

• Many times we make decisions based on “symptoms” of a problem or issue, and not on the root cause. Conducting a root cause analysis will help you make decisions that will permanently solve your issue.

Step 4: Weigh the evidence

• Evaluate if the need identified in Step 1 is actually the root cause. Then you can begin gathering more evidence, brainstorming on the validity of each and how it would positively impact the outcome, and come up with the best solutions. We like to use the top 2 alternatives.

Step 5: Choose among alternatives

• Now you can begin to conduct a pros and cons analysis of your top choices in Step 5. At this point, you may reach a decision. Keep in mind, the need to be flexible. Your decision might incorporate a compromise of both alternatives.

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Decision Making Tools

Decision Making tools (some come in software form) help you to map out all the possible alternatives to your decision, as well as chances of success or failure. These tools provide a useful way to make the right choice by simplifying the decision-making process. Below are a few decision-making tools, with links to external resources, we have identified that are good for you to consider:

Roles in Execution (DARE)

Learn more at Angola Transparency (angolatransparency.blog)

• D = Deciders, A = Advisors, R = Recommenders, and E = Executors
• Embeds key behaviors during the decision. making process
• Can involve more stakeholders

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Root Cause Analysis (Fishbone Diagram)

Learn more at Ease (ease.io)

• By Kaoru Ishikawa at the University of Tokyo
• Visual way to identify cause and effects
• Helps isolate the root cause
• Organizes relationships into categories

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Root Cause Analysis (5 Whys)

Learn more at ???

• Developed by Sakichi Toyoda with Toyota
• Team tool used for problem identification that looks at the underlying cause
• Drill down by asking "WHY"
• Asks what caused the problem 4 additional times

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Brainstorming (Mind Mapping)

Learn more at Using Mind Maps (usingmindmaps.com)

• Organizes your ideas
• Capture thought visually
• Branches from one central concept
• Analyze related elements
• Supporting ideas branch out radially from your core idea

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Brainstorming (Six Thinking Hats)

Learn more at MindTools (mindtools.com)

• Group thinking technique
• Categorizes your thoughts into facts, emotions, and reflections
• It examines the negatives and the positives.
• This style of thinking requires imagination.

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Analysis (SWOT Diagram)

Learn more at ????

• Analysis and strategy framework
• Expand your thinking categorically
• Brainstorm components of 4 areas (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats)

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Analysis (SOAR)

Learn more at University of Missouri (hibraryguides.missouri.edu)

• Similar to the SWOT diagram however it uses a strengths-based focus.
• Used in AI to focus on what is going well and what can be improved
• Strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results

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Analysis (Pareto)

Learn more at MindTools (mindtools.com)

• Also known as the 80/20 rule
  • 20% activities will account for 80% of your results
• Used for prioritization
• Identifies the tasks that will give the biggest payoff
• Helps organize the workload

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Roles in Decision Making (RAPID)

Learn more at Asana (asana.com)

• Acronym for Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, and Decide
• Each represents the role people take in decision. making
• One central person makes decision after input from all

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Roles in Decision Making (RACI)

Learn more at CIO (cio.com)

• Acronym for Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed
• People understand their level of authority in decision making
• Roles may shift at each major milestone

Decision Making (Decision Mapping)

Learn more at Creately (creately.com)

• Based on the elaboration of Benjamin Franklin's 'Moral Algebra' principle
• Critical thinking approach to visually highlight the possible routes
• Good in complex situations
• Utilizes pros and cons

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