Deciding – The Book

Deciding by Roger Estall and Grant Purdy  is a book to help decision-makers of all types make even better decisions.

‘Deciders’ have two central challenges: being ‘sufficiently certain’ that what their decision will actually deliver is what the decision was intended to deliver; and that what it delivers is consistent with the organisation’s wider purpose.

The book acknowledges that absolute certainty is almost never possible, but says the key  to achieving sufficient certainty lies in the Decider’s self-awareness of how they are making their decision and the skills they bring to that task. Its central thesis is that all decisions by all Deciders are made using a ‘universal decision-making method’. 

In its 160 pages (eight chapters and five appendices) Deciding describes this universal method and provides practical guidance in its application, backed by many examples and anecdotes. The authors shun jargon opting for plain language to describe fundamental issues  such as context, assumptions, and detecting and responding to change after the decision is made.  

In an appendix, the authors draw on their several years of observing organisations grapple with the belief that ‘risk management’ provides a path to making sound decisions, to explain why such efforts serve only as a ‘millstone’. The book recommends ‘risk management’ be abandoned and provides guidance to achieve this. 

To help the reader both grasp the main concepts of the universal method, and acquire the necessary skills, the text throughout is supported by clear, simple diagrams – including an easy-to-follow illustration of the universal method. Deciders are invited to reflect on  their present decision-making practices in order to either reinforce what they already do well or recognise opportunities for improvement. 

Deciding is therefore a book for thinkers, rather than for those seeking a formulaic or procedurally rigid methodology.