Learning decision-making strategies

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/10/2017 (2949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Some decisions will disappoint people. That’s life, unfortunately. But how do we make these decisions that will ultimately leave at least one party or person unhappy?

Although schools teach math and English, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Foundation’s LIFT program offers students help with real-life and real-consequences choices.

It gives teens three frameworks for decision-making, helping them better understand what to think about when making decisions and how those choices might impact them and those around them.
One such framework, which is particularly applicable in decisions that will inevitably disappoint people, is called the utilitarian approach.

Imagine a young basketball coach making a practice schedule for his or her team. The coach can decide to cater to the star player’s schedule and put a lot of practices on days that work for that player but not for other players. But if the coach sets a schedule which means that most players possible can attend practice, he or she is following the utilitarian approach.

Utilitarianism considers the number of people affected by a certain decision. People who follow it make the choice that will benefit the greatest number of people and do the least harm. The decision-makers acknowledge that some people will be unhappy with the outcome but do their best to minimize any harm.

In a high school, a utilitarian approach may help a student decide what to do when two friends disagree over a photo posted on social media. One friend likes it but the other is embarrassed. Leaving the picture up will do more harm to the embarrassed friend than it will benefit the happy friend. Having considered this, the student takes the picture down. Without taking a utilitarian approach, the student will be in a sticky situation and may rely on other factors, like how close each friend is or how many likes the photo got, instead of considering the total harm done by the situation.

“We want to help youth think more consciously about the decisions they make before they make them,” says Len Andrusiak, president and chief executive officer of the Better Business Bureau serving Manitoba and Northwest Ontario.

“This helps them make choices for a more successful future and gives them a method of decision-making they can use throughout life.”

For more information about LIFT or the BBB, visit bbb.org/Manitoba