Jan Woike

How to make good decisions

We make decisions in many domains of our lives, and we are substantially affected by the decisions of others. Our world is replete with situations of risk and uncertainty, and we make decisions with limited information and limited time. The five sessions will explore different aspects of decision-making, common traps and best practices. Some theories of human decision-making consider us to be error-prone and irrational, others see humans as equipped with a toolbox of simple tools that can yield surprisingly strong results when used in the right situation. We will investigate when and why they can succeed both in individual and social decision-making. We will also have a closer look at decision-making processes in diverse organizations. Moral decision-making involves decision that have an impact on other people. Finally, decisions in complex environment pose additional challenges to those that try to navigate them.

This option will be taught in five sessions including a range of practical exercises (interactive computer exercises, small-group tasks etc.), interactive demonstrations, and discussions. A list of readings will be given at the beginning of the class, a short introduction can be found here:

Todd, P., & Gigerenzer, G. (2000). Précis of Simple heuristics that make us smart. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23(5), 727-741. https://doi.org/doi:10.1017/S0140525X00003447