PARTICIPANT WORKBOOK
Values Based
Decision Making
Making Good Decisions That Last
Sustainable Management Development Program
Sustainable Management Development Program
Division of Global Public Health Capacity Development
Coordinating Office for Global Health
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/SMDP/
Version 1
VALUES BASED DECISION MAKING n
Values Based Decision Making
CONTENTS
Introduction
Sustainable Management Development Program iii
Acknowledgements iii
About this Course iv
Target Audience iv
Learning Objectives iv
Schedule v
Icon Glossary v
Introduction to Values Based Decision Making
What is Values Based Decision Making? 1
Step 1: Clarify Perspective 3
Step 2: Comprehend Values 5
Step 3: Commit to What is Most Important 7
Step 4: Choose the Option That Fits Best 9
Step 5: Communicate Your Decision Clearly and Honestly 11
Conclusion
Summary 13
What’s Next? 14
Resources
Books 15
Appendices
Mapping Stakeholder Values 19
Questions for Identifying Values 21
Principles of Public Health Ethics 23
Dealing with Negative Consequences 25
Using the Steps in Your Organization 27
Decision Making Worksheet 29
Decision Summary Form 30
Moving Through the Steps 31
Glossary of Terms 33
Course Evaluation Form 35
contents | i
VALUES BASED DECISION MAKING n
Introduction
Sustainable Management Development Program
SMDP works with ministries of health, educational institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and other partners to strengthen leadership and management skills and systems to improve public health in low resource countries.Program Strategy
SMDP strengthens leadership and management skills and systems through—
· Integration with country public health priorities
· Strategic partnerships
· Technical assistance and training
· Policy and systems development
· Advocacy and education
· Evaluation
For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/SMDP/.
Acknowledgements
Workbook text, diagrams, and PowerPoint® slides created by Mark D. Bennett and Joan McIver Gibson.About this Course
The goal of this course is to provide you with a variety of tools and techniques which will help you make good decisions. Good decisions are based on your most important values. They are decisions that others can and will implement. Good decisions last.Target Audience
This course is designed for leaders in public health services. Effective leaders make good decisions and know how to engage constructively with others in the decision making process.This course can also benefit employees and staff who participate in decision making processes, and those who must implement the decisions of others.
Learning Objectives
When you complete this course you will be able to:· Describe the steps in the values based decision making process
· Conduct dialogue with stakeholders to identify important values for making a decision
· Identify the potential unintended consequences of a decision
· Make values based decisions
· Identify potential negative consequences of a decision
· Communicate decisions using a decision summary form
Schedule
Morning (8:30am – 12:00pm)· Course Introduction
· Case Presentation
· Applying the Five Steps to Reach a Decision
· Reporting the Decision
· Conclusion, Next Steps, Evaluation
Icon Glossary
The following icons are used in this workbook:/ EXERCISE
/ TIP: SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION TO HELP PERFORM A TASK MORE EASILY
INTRODUCTION | v
VALUES BASED DECISION MAKING n
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VALUES BASED DECISION MAKING n
Introduction to Values Based Decision Making
What is Values Based Decision Making?
When a difficult choice presents itself, people need traction. Traction on the road to a good decision comes from deliberate, honest, and respectful talk about what matters. Leaders need to bring the language of values and ethics alive in every decision making conversation. Tough choices and good decisions demand nothing less.This course will provide you with the skills to:
· Identify and involve the right stakeholders
· Conduct productive dialogue about values
· Make a good, values based decision
· Identify potential negative consequences of a decision
· Communicate your decision in a way that creates support from those who must implement it, and those whom it affects
Values Based Decision Making is a straightforward process for making and communicating decisions based on the most important values. A leader’s integrity and credibility in the eyes of others come from a values driven process, and from transparency and honesty in communication.
When should you use the Values Based Decision Making process? Consider using this process when your decision will:
· Influence the handling of future issues
· Have significant impact on stakeholders
· Involve the allocation of a significant amount of human, economic, or other resources
· Have high visibility, internally or externally
The road to a good decision features five steps along the way. Here is a summary of the five steps you will be practicing during this training.
Five Steps on the Road to a Good Decision
Step / Activities / Question / Desired Outcome
1. Clarify Perspective / · Stepping back
· Framing / What point-of-view do I bring to this decision? / Improved ability to see clearly and listen effectively
2. Comprehend Values / · Identifying
· Dialogue / What is important to me, the organization, and others? / Better understanding of the range of values
3. Commit to what is most important / · Advocacy
· Weighing / What is most important that should guide our decision? / A set of guiding values to point the way
4. Choose the option that fits best / · Looking at the downside
· Considering options / What is the best fit between importance and action? / Strong connection between the guiding values and the decision
5. Communicate your decision clearly and honestly / · Being transparent
· Telling the story / How can I credibly communicate this to others? / A decision that levels with others about its basis and the consequences
Step 1: Clarify Perspective
IntroductionClarifying requires that you step back and take a look around. It also offers you an opportunity to adjust your point of view to see more clearly. While this can be accomplished alone, it can be helpful to hear how others see differently. When a decision maker appreciates the presence of differing viewpoints early in the process, this:
· Increases the likelihood of meaningful dialogue because participants understand where others are coming from
· Begins to identify biases, prejudgments, and assumptions
· Identifies missing perspectives
When appropriate, consult others directly to find out what matters to them. When this is not possible, do your best to state what they would say if asked.
/ EXERCISE 1: Clarify Perspective
1. Record your answers on the Decision Making Worksheet (DMW) provided by your instructor.
2. By yourself, write down your answer to the following question: What is my initial reaction on this decision? (A reaction might be an impression, a solution, an assumption, a sense of the kind of issue this is, or a strong response of some kind, e.g., a clear opinion that there is only one thing to do.)
3. By yourself, consider whether you bring a particular perspective or “point-of-view” to this issue. Describe it briefly. It may be a role you play, expertise you possess, or a related experience you have had.
4. As a group, go around the table and share your reaction and points of view, one at a time. Be brief. Take no more than 1 minute per person. Listen carefully as others express how they “see” the situation. Avoid comments, BUT do follow up with a speaker to clarify if you do not understand. As you listen, note the different perspectives revealed by these initial reactions.
Dig Deeper
If you have time, or the issue is important enough that you must make the time, consider:
Assumptions: What do we assume is true about this decision? Which of these assumptions should we check out to confirm our understanding?
Other Perspectives: Are we missing perspectives that we need to make a good decision? If not, who should we involve and how should we involve them?
Ways to Frame the Decision: How can we most clearly state the decision we are responsible for making? What does our frame highlight and what does it leave out?
How to Proceed: How should we approach the decision (i.e. information gathering, consultation, option development, and deadline)?
Step 2: Comprehend Values
IntroductionTalking with and listening to others can improve the decision maker’s understanding of what’s at stake. Always adapt what you do to both the situation and the time available. The simple act of expressing to someone else what is important and hearing them reflect what they understand offers a valuable opportunity to learn how another sees the issue. The range of “what matters” includes organizational and professional values, personal values, and values of others.
Enter into dialogue with others to develop a comprehensive list of values. Be persistent in clarifying what others mean when they name a value. Use ordinary language and speak to what the value means in that situation.
/ Exercise 2: Comprehend Values
Reminder: Make sure that everyone understands whose decision this is.
1. Record your answers on the Decision Making Worksheet (DMW).
2. By yourself, write down a list of all the things that matter in this situation. Go beyond your own point of view and consider what matters to others (stakeholders) directly or indirectly. Pay particular attention to those stakeholders who stand to gain or lose.
3. As a group, take turns and give each person the opportunity to briefly state a value he has identified. Go beyond big words and concepts such as “Safety” or “Promoting Public Health” or “Justice” and explain concretely what this value means to you in this situation. Continue to take turns until everyone has named the values they identified or until you run out of time. To develop more clarity, it helps if individuals will summarize the previous speaker by reflecting what the listener heard them say. If the speaker needs to clarify, he can do so before the next person takes a turn.
Dig Deeper
If you have time, develop a list on a flip chart or whiteboard where everyone can see the range of values identified. Make sure that the list is comprehensive by asking a few questions:
· “What don’t we understand about what is important?”
· “Whom aren’t we thinking about?”
· “What are we missing?”
Step 3: Commit to What is Most Important
IntroductionEvery decision is based on one or more things that matter. Good decision makers must be clear about which values are most important to them. We call these most important values the “guiding stars.” They point the way toward action.
Offer all participants the opportunity to speak directly to the heart of the matter, i.e. what is most important. Make sure that you hear what each person believes to be most important AND the reasons that get them to that conclusion. Listen respectfully to encourage everyone to be open and honest, whether you agree or not.
/ Exercise 3: Commit to What is Most Important
Reminder: Make sure that everyone understands whose decision this is.
1. Record your answers on the Decision Making Worksheet (DMW).
2. By yourself, review the list of values developed by the group (or from the previous worksheet). Write down three that you believe are the most important that should determine the choice among available options. Also write down the reasons for your selections. Of the three, which do you think is the most important?
3. As a group, take turns. Each person names one important value and briefly states the reason it is key. If someone is unclear about the speaker’s value or the reason for its selection, follow up to clarify, not to challenge. Continue to go around, until everyone has had the opportunity to advocate for their top values. Write these top values on a clean sheet of chart paper or whiteboard so everyone can see them.
4. As a group, let the decision maker summarize what he has heard. Help him consider key themes.
Dig Deeper
Consider these questions:
· “Where do we seem to be in agreement?”
· “Where is there broad support, if not consensus?”
· “Where is there disagreement or conflict among participants?”
Step 4: Choose the Option That Fits Best
IntroductionEvery important decision is based upon something that matters. It is not possible to choose without this connection to something of value. However, the connection may not be clear, to the decision maker or to others. For a decision maker who wants her choice to have integrity, the essential task is to make a choice that is clearly connected to the most important values. This connection provides a credible foundation for communicating the basis for the decision to others.
Find the best fit between available options and the most important values by testing each option against them. Before settling upon the best course of action, take a close look at the negative consequences of your choice.
/ Exercise 4: Choose the Option That Fits Best
1. Record your answers on the Decision Making Worksheet (DMW).
2. As a group, consider the options already identified. If there is time to search for additional options, do so and add them to the list. It may be useful to list the options on a chart or white board.
3. As a group, listen to the decision maker explain the values he thinks should guide his decision, and what he has decided. If there is time and the decision maker wants feedback from others present, ask for brief comments now.
4. As a group, look carefully at the option the decision maker has chosen. Answer the following questions:
· “What negative consequences are likely or possible as a result of this decision?”
· “What do I regret about this decision?”
· “Are there important values that this decision does not honor?”
Step 5: Communicate Your Decision Clearly and Honestly
IntroductionEvery decision is based upon something that matters. If a decision maker wants the choice to be credible, the communication must do two things. First, it must clearly connect the decision with the most important values. Second, it must honestly address the realistic negative consequences of the decision.
Prepare to communicate openly with those who should hear about the decision, using the Decision Summary Form.
/ Exercise 5: Communicate Your Decision Clearly and Honestly
Instructions for Decision Makers
1. Meet with the instructor to complete the Decision Summary Form.
2. State the decision in direct, simple language. Be clear who “owns” the decision. “Every member of the Board voted in favor of changing the terms of the policy.” Or “As Deputy Health Minister, it is my decision that…”
3. Identify the values that guided the decision. Use concrete, everyday language to explain why you picked these top values.
4. Make sure you are candid about the negative consequences of this decision.
· Negative Effects: “I recognize that a likely result of this my decision will be… However, in my judgment, this does not outweigh the importance of … because… ”
· Values Not Honored: “Loyalty to our employees is important to us. We could not give it the highest priority at this time because…”
Instructions for other group members
1. / Complete Step 5 of the Decision Making Worksheet.
Dig Deeper
Consider this question:
Will it help to tell the story of how you reached your conclusion (steps you took, who was involved, whom you consulted, the level of time and effort involved…)? “Let me give you a sense of the road we took to reach our decision.”
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