Super Deciders

Dramatically improve the decisions you make every day using insights from the latest neuroscience We make hundreds of decisions daily, from small ones - such as what to wear today and how to drive to work - to big ones - such as the company strategy and whether to launch a restructuring program that may impact thousands of people. In business, studies suggest that company executives spend 40% of their time making decisions and that the effectiveness of their decisions largely drives the results of the companies that they lead. In Super Deciders: The Science and Practice of Making Decisions in Dynamic and Uncertain Times, a team of renown researchers and business advisors deliver an application of the latest advances in neuroscience to effectively making the most difficult decisions, those we make in dynamic environments, in situations of uncertainty when we need to predict outcomes, we're missing relevant information, time is scarce, and the environment is constantly changing. The book is written in three parts. In the first part, the book offers a practical framework for making effective decisions under uncertainty. In the second part, the book discusses approaches to effectively implement those decisions, thus managing change at every level, from the individual to the organizational. Finally, the book develops suggestions on how leaders can diagnose and improve - in themselves and in the people they lead - the cognitive abilities relevant to decision-making. You'll also find: - An enlightening business narrative detailing the journey of a fictional leader of an international travel operator named Inuk. - Six cases that put you into real-life situations of making difficult decisions and that help you assess your decision-making effectiveness. - An accessible and fun introduction to the neuroscience of decision-making. Ideal for managers, executives, directors, and other business leaders, Super Deciders is a can't-miss decision-making playbook that you've been waiting for.

CLAUDIO FESER, a senior partner emeritus at McKinsey & Company, serves on multiple company boards, including as chairperson. He teaches innovation and leadership at the University of St. Gallen and ETH Zurich, Switzerland. DANIELLA LAUREIRO-MARTINEZ is a Senior Scientist in the Technology and Innovation Management Group at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, where she leads the COLAB, a research group focused on cognition, learning and adaptive behavior. KAROLIN FRANKENBERGER is Professor of Strategic Management and Innovation and the Dean of the Executive School of Management, Technology and Law at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. STEFANO BRUSONI is Professor of Technology and Innovation Management and Vice-Rector for Continuing Education at ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

Foreword by Mario Greco xiii Introduction xix Prologue xxvii Part One: Understanding Decisions Under Uncertainty Chapter 1: Making Great Predictions 3 Chapter 2: Case 1: Making People Decisions 19 Chapter 3: Developing Options to Approximate the Right Decision 29 Part Two: Making Decisions Under Uncertainty Chapter 4: Case 2: Making Strategic Decisions 57 Chapter 5: Identifying Assumptions and Testing Them 69 Chapter 6: Case 3: Making Decisions About Company Growth 95 Chapter 7: Developing Better Options 107 Part Three: Managing the Tensions Created by Decisions Under Uncertainty Chapter 8: Case 4: Implementing Decisions 129 Chapter 9: Managing Change 135 Part Four: Becoming Super Deciders Chapter 10: Case 5: Making Work- Life Balance Decisions 157 Chapter 11: Becoming Better at Making Decisions 165 Chapter 12: Case 6: Making "Tough" Decisions 185 Chapter 13: Preparing to Be Wrong 195 Part Five: Conclusions Chapter 14: Epilogue 211 Chapter 15: Conclusions 215 Notes 225 Appendixes 227 References 249 About the Authors 267 Index 271