Head and Heart in Decision Quality

David Matheson and I have been discussing for a while now about the need to include heart and head in Decision Quality. The heart idea is used in practice but absent from the formal framework, although the Decision Education Foundation has taken a step in this direction:

Head and Heart
A good decision requires both head and heart. Decision makers need to ask themselves:
Does my decision make sense?
Does my decision feel right?

I tested out our updates to the framework in both a class at Stanford Splash with high-school kids, and in the Stanford undergraduate and graduate seminar, “Lessons in Decision-Making.” It was well received and some good questions were raised. We have also tried these ideas out with clients and it seems to fill an important gap.

Watch the video from the “Lessons in Decision-Making Seminar” here.

Here is a quick summary of our work-in-progress:

These ideas are offered in humility – this is just the beginning of the conversation.  David and I are continuing to get feedback and refine our ideas. It is no simple task to update a framework that has held its ground for three decades.  

What do you think?