Driver of Decision Making

What is the driver of decision making? It will depend on who, whom, when, where and magnitude of the decision made. For deciding where to eat and shop, it is very much depended on an individual's experience and own desire as well as circumstances during the moment decision has to take. For deciding problem solving solution, many factors have to be taken into consideration such as the effectiveness and efficiency of the solution. For example, deciding on relocating the unlicensed hawkers to new trading site, first to come to mind is the acceptance of the stakeholders involved. Hence, engaging them from the beginning will be a good start. Secondly, other social, political and economic factors have to be considered as well. It is a complicated process as many quarters with different interest and priority will be involved.

When it comes to city planning and management, the decision making process is getting more complicated as various stakeholders with different interest and agenda come into the picture. For developers and land owners, they want higher enhancement value for their properties. Similarly, for the businesses they want higher volume of turn over. For the service providers, they want to provide services as efficient as possible. For local authority, it is the priority of making the city a liveable and sustainable one. Top of the list, i think it is the want of people who reside here. Generally, they want to remain status qua if the area has been vibrant and liveable since their day of living here. They would not like changes that come with a heavy price disturbing their daily routine of lifestyle. For example, taking extra half an hour for commuting from the house to work place is definitely not welcome. Sandwiching in the long queue of traffic during school hour and encountering broken drains and mismanaged facilities will make them angry. They will always argue that these issues are not their want and were result of wrong decision taken during the planning process of those who have been entrusted to plan so. For this, they want to be involved in the decision making. I presume, aspiring for better and liveable environment is the driver for their decision making.

Having driver alone is not sufficient because decision making is an art. It needs right approaches, means and techniques for making an appropriate decision. Although no decision can please all the people, but the least is to fulfill the plight of most of the people, I believe.