Nothing is More Important [Three]

Importance of Problem Solving and Decision Making
[An exhaustive study by Norman W. Edmund named Decision Making]

Earlier, Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon was quoted on the importance of problem solving and decision making. While he covered a wide area, there are many other instances in which it is of supreme importance. Just a very few are preserving the earth, preventing wars, human health, and improving government in all areas.

What’s Being Taught about Decision Making

Problem solving and decision making are taught to a limited extent in many schools and colleges. Various formulas for the stages are sometimes included and other times not. Many reports call for students to be proficient in problem solving and decision making. The need for teaching critical thinking is often mentioned without the realization that critical thinking is really problem solving and decision making.

Not much action results from these reports to improve problem solving and decision making. Many businesses have various training courses for their employees. Government agencies have hurt rather than helped. To make a long story short, the teaching and use of today’s body of decision making is very poor. There is little or no recognition of the need for a standard model. As a result we are, as a nation, doing a very inadequate job of problem solving and decision making.

What We Need to Do
(To name a few)

• Individuals should become life long students of the subject. They should encourage their children and friends to do the same.

• Those in the teaching profession should do everything they can to teach problem solving and decision making following a model.

• Employers should institute training courses. Organizations should promote problem solving and decision making.

• There should be a national plan to improve problem solving and decision making for teaching in our schools and for the education of those already working. And further, there should be seeded foundations that sponsor scholarships and incentives for achievement.

ZDT Author’s Comments:
How can we add to…or take away from this?

“Decisioning" is the new "decision making”