Back when I was a struggling new teacher, newly-wed, and newly returned ex-patriate I taught sessionally at a local Community College and University to make ends meet. I taught mostly subjects I was familiar with (English Lit., Business and Remedial Writing, ESL) and one or two where I was not. (Business mostly). One of these courses stuck with me because I had to do so much boning up of my own to prepare for the lectures and class activities.
It was a class in critical thinking models and processes that were supposed to help in business decision making.
I was reminded of some facets of the course by the performance of a Presidential candidate this last week... so I dug out my notes. Follow me below the fold.
Romney has always touted himself as a business leader with the needed experience and expertise in solving problems and making critical choices....
I think not.
According to my crusty and dusty notes - complete with ink and coffee stains, marginalia wrinkles and tears - there are three commonly accepted main barriers to making effective strategic choices and decisions in business:
1) Errors in definition: This is where a decision maker makes mistakes in defining the nature of the probem and hence the nature or even the need for action in solution.
For example: when a decision maker takes action before anyone has had time to define the nature and scope of the problem, or limits the problem to only one aspect, or mistakes the source of the problem .
When Mitt Romney decided that the whole problem in Libya came down to the communique from the Embassy in Cairo, he was making this kind of error in those three ways.
2) Errors in complexity. This is where a decision maker, either through lack of prior knowledge or experience, or willful disregard (see next entry) fails to appreciate ramifications of the problem AND possible effects of any solution.
For Example: when solutions do not take into account other aspects or commitments outside the immediate problem, when the problem is underevaluated or not appreciated. When opportunities are mistaken for problems and vice versa.
When Mitt Romney abandoned the well accepted practice of Presidential candidates not commenting while Americans are under attack he did so because he made an error in the evaluation he gave to the complexity of the problem and underappreciated the ramifications of attacking a President during a crisis while Americans were under attack.
3) Negative Bias. This is where errors are made due to biased selection in data. Decisions are made effectively to the degree that they operate in the real world. All decision makers have models of how they think the world should work. Most decision makers fall at times into the trap of mistaking their ideological model for an actual reality. Most decision makers make allowances for their bias however.
Mitt Romney and his team have as part of their bias, the contra-factual idea that President Obama has in the past "apologized" for America to enemies. It is debateable to what extent they truly believe this claim, or whether they cynically see that it is a useful and attractive accusation to bruit about to voters. In either case, they were subject to an operational bias that held that making a such a claim would have benefit in this situation.
Put simply - they let their own Kool Aid cloud their minds.
Romney apparently went against every effective critical thinking and decision making model I have ever seen in practice in Business. He did not take the time to identify available options; did not establish or identify timeframes; made no effort to gather or evaluate info in a timely manner; was not clear in his goal, or his supporting evidence; was inconsistent and even self-contradictory in his criteria and criticisms of the President; and obviously followed no structure in his stratgy beyond repitition of error.
You call this guy a Business Leader?