Expected Consequences

In traditional decision making approaches, we consider the direct effects of our decisions on key resources that are close to us. Unfortunately, since we usually only consider these direct consequences, we tend to think about the relationships between resources linearly. I want to get an important project done well, so I try to motivate my team members to work hard and smart. Direct consequences are "better and faster work". Linear relationships are "more motivated, better work." Does this logic ring completely and exhaustively true?

Unexpected Consequences

When the dynamics of the resources around me are nonlinear and my actions affect the resources of others, which in turn affect the dynamics of my resources, I encounter unexpected or unintended consequences. Taking up our previous example. My motivational actions affect the team members resource of work load, which affects their stress level resource and the time they spend with the family and friends, another resource. The effects of my motivation, their stress, and family pressures on work load are interrelated and difficult to untangle – these multiple effects are nonlinear behavior and usually have quite unexpected results.

Click here to see what we do at the Institute for Strategic Clarity to intervene in this same decision making process to strengthen the decision makers ability to understand and make decisions within complex environments.