introducing the STRATEGIC CHOICE APPROACH A practical approach

introducing the STRATEGIC CHOICE APPROACH A practical approach to Planning under Pressure which is found especially helpful where: • people of different outlooks and allegiances • are working together in an attempt to • move rapidly towards commitments to action • on difficult issues of shared concern 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd 1

In this introduction: What are the emphases of this approach? What is the story behind it? How and where is it used? What’s in a name? 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd 2

the value of the STRATEGIC CHOICE APPROACH The value of the approach lies in the way in which it focuses attention: • on the important and urgent decisions to be made, and • on the significant sources of uncertainty that can make it hard for people to agree how to make progress – whether these sources be technical, political or structural 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd 3

the Strategic Choice Approach: five key emphases more emphasis on: facilitating DECISIONS than on investigating SYSTEMS managing UNCERTAINTY than on acquiring INFORMATION sustaining PROGRESS than on projecting FUTURES structuring COMMUNICATION than on reinforcing EXPERTISE supporting NEGOTIATION than on exercising CONTROL 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd Agenda focus Knowledge focus Time focus Skill focus Influence focus 4

Managing Uncertainty in Decisionmaking: a general view Uncertainties about People tend to respond to Environmental factors a state of difficulty in making decisions in INVESTIGATE? “WE NEED different ways …. DEEPER These can be seen as KNOWLEDGE” responses to different kinds of UNCERTAINTY “WE NEED CLEARER POLICIES” Uncertainties about Value judgements CONSULT? WHAT ARE WE TO DO NOW about this choice? The question then becomes: should we agree now to invest in any of these types of action in response to uncertainty as a means of moving on? • “WE NEED BROADER PERSPECTIVES”” NEGOTIATE? Uncertainties about choices on Related agendas 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd These choices about how to manage uncertainty can be seen as strategic; for they influence not only the decisions made, but also the future course of the process. 5

Building a progress package who now DECISIONS A Action! 19/06/2021 DOUBTS DECISIONS Exploration! B C future ? DOUBTS ? ? Exploration! Action! ? SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd ? 6

A starting point: A view of a simple (serial) choice DECISION THIS CURRENT ISSUE preferences & uncertainties DESIGNING COMPARING options 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd 7

An extended view of strategic choice ISSUES actions + progress package any role for expert mapping methods? 19/06/2021 CHOOSIN G facilitation DESIGNIN G any role for expert design methods? any role for expert project planning methods? explorations SHAPING problem focus DECISIONS preferences & uncertainties COMPARIN G range of possible strategies SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd any role for expert evaluation methods? 8

Managing a strategic decision agenda CHOOSING a course of action can present challenges where people must grapple with diverse sources of uncertainty, balancing pressures for early commitment against concerns to retain flexibility of future choice SHAPING problems can present challenges where people view the choices ahead from different perspectives, and find it hard to agree on a shared focus DESIGNING strategies can present challenges where people may find it hard not only to agree on options, but also to explore ways of combining them in broader schemes 19/06/2021 COMPARING alternatives can present challenges where people may be uncertain about their impacts, and may differ over their relative importance SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd 9

The Story behind the Approach Started with a 4 -year research project to explore the processes of policy making in local government – and where possible to suggest directions for improvement • hosted by Coventry City Council (in 1960’s) • sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation • conducted by a team of OR scientists and social scientists from the Tavistock Institute in London There were also significant influences from a parallel project on communications in the building industry 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd 10

Progress of the Coventry project Mixture of project methods (after initial confusion): • observing many meetings (open access) • tracing progress on some strategic issues • listening and talking to the people involved • struggling to develop relevant “models” • seeking opportunities to help/advise – risky! Published outcome 1969: “Local Government and Strategic Choice”: 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd offered untested ideas for an 11

testing & development Early projects with town planning professionals & others in UK – using parallel action research designs Experiences of training & planning workshops overseas – Canada, Brazil, Netherlands, EU, Japan, Venezuela. …. Growing focus on inter-organisational processes, leading to insights on appropriate ways of organising Extending fields of application: community planning, social policy, international 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd development, environmental management, 12

How and where is SCA now used? Many recent examples in Planning under Pressure III: - variations in levels of application: local to national – cultures – public/private, language differences – variations in technology – low vs. (relatively) high… – trials in combining with other 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd methods/approaches 13

A Strategic Choice workshop Snapshot from an early strategic choice workshop in north-east Brazil (1984) • strategy for an offshore island close to a city • 17 participants including 3 facilitators • group progress recorded via flipcharts on walls 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd 14

Recording progress by computer Illustration of use of software in recording progress • Closely modelled on low-tech workshop methods • Practical alternative to a workshop for small groups working informally • Poses similar challenges of facilitation skill 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd 15

What’s in a name? The phrase Strategic Choice was introduced in the late 1960’s to describe situations of nonsimple decision-making, avoiding unhelpful distinctions between responsibilities for … management planning policy BUT since then the growth of business schools has highlighted different concepts of strategic choice/strategic management – as much to do with corporate control as managing complexity Recent rethinking focuses on a concept of developmental decision making & developmental decision support as an emergent field of management theory, with emphasis on shifting agendas and networks of participants (PUP Chapter 14) 19/06/2021 SCAintro © Stradspan Ltd 16

Strategic Choice Approach Module 1 About SHAPING problems in terms of interconnected decision areas 19/06/2021 SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 17

An approach to SHAPING (difficult) problems SUMMARY OF THIS INTRODUCTION: • Working together, build a list of agreed names for DECISION AREAS ahead of us at this time – whether shorter term or longer term • List also any issues that may be better treated - later on – either as uncertainty areas or comparison areas (i. e. criteria for choice) • Write shorter labels for the decision areas on stickers (Post. Its) • Then cluster stickers as starting point for building a DECISION GRAPH • Discuss and agree where DECISION LINKS should be drawn between pairs of decision areas to show connections 19/06/2021 SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd • Assess the decision areas for relative importance and urgency 18

An Illustrative Example • PDQ is a management consulting group - 12 consultants, c. £ 1. 1 M annual turnover • They recently tendered to undertake a management review project for a public authority, two hours’ drive away • £ 180 K bid for the contract, with a named team • The decision has since been delayed for 4 months – then suddenly PDQ are offered the contract How to respond, in a new situation where staff availability has altered? 19/06/2021 SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 19

Starting to list issues - looking primarily for key decision areas DECISIONS Who should lead team? Full-time team member? What admin support? Proposed start date? 1 date Any issue that we see ahead of us that can be expressed as an area of choice among different courses of action can be added to a list of current decision areas - whatever the nature of the choice – e. g. who, where, what, when, how …… -whether it be urgent or longer-term … -whether or not we share responsibility for choice with others … n. b. options for choice may be immediately clear (yes or no; this, that or the other; as now or change) - or they may call for some degree of design The question mark at the end of each decision area is there as a reminder that it’s an area of CHOICE not an OPTION 19/06/2021 SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 20

Extending the Initial List DECISIONS Some points to check: 1 date Who should lead team? Full-time team member? What admin support? Proposed start date? Press for change in project duration? Whether to bid for new HKI project? Value to us of public sector work Impact on our reputation • Legibility – at a distance! • Take care in choice of words - discuss • Not too many words, not too few • Add a question mark after each entry • Check for any overlaps or duplications • Be ready to rephrase where it helps • Strike through mistakes rather than erase - as a reminder of learning points • Is this really an area of choice – for us? • If not, can we transfer to a different list of uncertainties – or of criteria for choice? 19/06/2021 SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 21

Starting to build separate lists of uncertainty areas & comparison areas DECISIONS 1 date Who should lead team? Full-time team member? Admin support? Proposed start date? Press for change in project duration? Do we bid for new HKI project Value to us of public sector work Impact on our reputation Would some issues of concern to us be better expressed not as decision areas but as UNCERTAINTY AREAS? • gap in knowledge? • possible clash of values? • choices on other agendas? or as COMPARISON AREAS? • criteria that may influence our choice? UNCERTAINTIES ? Do we bid for new HKI project ? Value to us of public sector work COMPARISON AREAS n. b. it’s a good discipline to date and number each 19/06/2021 sheet 2 date impact on our reputation : 3 date contribution to profit : SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 22

Continuing to list further decision areas DECISIONS 1 date Who should lead team? Full-time team member? Admin support? Proposed start date? Press for change in project duration? Do we bid for new HKI project Value to us of public sector work Impact on our reputation Appoint second senior team member? Set up a local project office? What working methods? Propose budget increase? 19/06/2021 • Continue adding decision areas – or issues for transfer to the uncertainty or comparison area lists, until participants agree that the most significant issues they can see at this stage have been listed • Remember that further decisions, uncertainties or comparison areas can be added later. Typically, an initial list of decision areas will run to between 5 and 25 items – once overlaps or duplications have been discussed and dealt with. This list may extend over up to three flip charts, which should be mounted side by side, rather than flipped over. SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 23

Labelling decision areas for transfer to graph LEADER? DECISIONS 1 date FULLTIMER? Who should lead team? ADMIN? Full-time team member? START? Admin support? Proposed start date? Press for change in project duration? DURATION? Do we bid for new HKI project Value to us of public sector work SENIOR? Impact on our reputation Appoint second senior team member? Set up a local project office? OFFICE? What working methods? Propose budget increase? Write a short label for each decision area on a Post. It sticker (preferably oval). Then transfer these stickers to a fresh flip chart, positioning choices that seem to be connected closer together 4 date METHODS? BUDGET? 19/06/2021 SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 24

Starting to build a Decision Graph DECISION GRAPH 4 date Discuss whether any further rearrangement would be helpful – e. g. to place related decisions closer together SENIOR? FULLTIMER? LEADER? START? METHODS? DURATION? ADMIN? BUDGET? OFFICE? 19/06/2021 (Optionally) draw a large focus ring, positioning what seem to be the more important choices inside, and others outside Start to draw LINKS between pairs of decision areas which it makes sense to consider together n. b. : decision links are not intended to indicate directions of influence - so we recommend that they be drawn without arrowheads If too many bent or crossed lines seem to be appearing, consider whether it is worth moving the graph to a fresh sheet, so as to reposition the decision areas; redraw the links; and thus make the structure more clear SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 25

Rearranging the Graph on a Fresh Sheet DECISION GRAPH (2) 4 date 5 date BUDGET? SENIOR? FULLTIMER? METHODS? LEADER? SENIOR? START? METHODS? START? DURATION? FULLTIMER? ADMIN? BUDGET? DURATION? OFFICE? 19/06/2021 SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 26

Extending the Decision Graph DECISION GRAPH (2) BUDGET? Draw links between pairs of decision areas METHODS? LEADER? SENIOR? START? FULLTIMER? ADMIN? OFFICE? 19/06/2021 5 date Place any decision areas that you have not yet linked in to the more central decision areas in positions around the graph that seem to make sense in terms of their association with the more central decision areas and with each other DURATION? If the graph now starts to look tangled, discuss whether to redraw it again – but also be prepared to push on! You can make changes later at any time … Some useful devices to save redrawing links: • Consider using whiteboard & wipe-off ink at this stage (only), so that trial links can be erased • consider drawing links initially in pencil • consider use of semi-adhesive links (e. g. index tabs) • get someone to record links on a computer (in drag-friendly form) SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 27

Agreeing Importance and Urgency of Decision Areas DECISION GRAPH (2) BUDGET? METHODS? LEADER? SENIOR? If agreed, introduce additional colours to indicate other attributes that are agreed to be significant in selecting a PROBLEM FOCUS for the next stage of the process • e. g. importance to some significant other party FULLTIMER? ADMIN? 19/06/2021 Use colours (e. g. on removable index flags) to identify decision areas that are agreed to be especially important or urgent • e. g. level of control over choice START? OFFICE? 5 date • e. g. density of links to other decisions (but note that this can be judged directly from the structure of the graph DURATION? SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 28

Agreeing a First Problem Focus DECISION GRAPH (2) BUDGET? METHODS? LEADER? SENIOR? FULLTIMER? ADMIN? 19/06/2021 Discuss selection of a group of up to (usually) three or four decision areas as a first PROBLEM FOCUS, taking into account: • Density of links • Importance • Urgency • possibly other things such as level of control Once agreement is reached, move on to DESIGNING and COMPARING work within the agreed focus START? OFFICE? 5 date DURATION? In a one-day workshop, it is often worth spending up to an hour on this initial SHAPING work before moving on – but it is rarely wise to spend longer! SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 29

Shaping Problems in Terms of Interconnected Decision Areas: summary • • • The Strategic Choice Approach encourages debate about the choice of problem focus in any situation of planning under pressure, by asking participants to start by exploring relationships among areas of choice ahead of us now, rather than more systemic relationships The use of graphical forms for the representation of structures of links, on wall charts or on a computer screen, enables a record of progress to be built up which is jointly owned by all participants Debate about areas of choice is always liable to generate suggestions about issues that may be more realistically treated as criteria for choice or as areas of uncertainty to be addressed The choice of problem focus can be changed by agreement at any stage in a process of making progress towards decisions It is important to retain a record of successive changes of problem focus, on a wall or in computer files, enabling participants to revert to an earlier focus whenever this seems appropriate 19/06/2021 SHAPING © Stradspan Ltd 30