Value focused thinking Fred Wenstp 312021 Fred Wenstp

Value focused thinking Fred Wenstøp 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 1

Focus on values! • In a given decision context – some course of action must be taken • Our habit is to focus on alternatives • We try to choose between the alternatives at hand without a clear basis for choice • Instead – we should start by focusing on our values • What makes the choice hard? • Which essential values are at stake? • What do we really want to achieve? – This approach will provide a good basis • for finding new and perhaps better alternatives • and evaluating them in a relevant and consistent way 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 2

Important concepts • Decision context – some course of action must be taken • The context is indicated by the alternatives at hand • Goals – what essential values are at stake? – what state do we want to move towards • Means – are action oriented; they look good, but do not say why • means are often causally linked to several goals • Goals in one context can be means in a larger context • Decision frame – Decision context and goals 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 3

Value structures • Means-objective (mål-middel) diagram – portray the causal relation between objectives and means • We ask: How can the goal be achieved? – They are typically diagrams, not hierarchies • Because of our tendency to focus on actions, we are prone to structure values in terms of means-objective diagrams • Goal-hierarchy – Instead we should explain what our values are • What are the important aspects of the objectives? • This breaks our objectives down into more concrete sub-objectives – eventually producing a set of decision criteria 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 4

Example: Means-objective diagram for traffic safety In principle, any box could be a top objective for a narrower decision context 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 5

Example: Goal Hierarchy for traffic safety 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 6

Context and objective Context example: Offer high quality ambulance service Alternative objectives Alternative measures • Minimize arrival time to accident spot • Maximize the quality of ambulance personnel • Minimize the time before the patient arrive at the hospital • More ambulances, improved stationing, training of drivers • Training of drivers, medical education, emergency practice • More ambulances, improved stationing, training of drivers, medical education, emergency practice, medical equipment for faster diagnoses in ambulance, better facilities to receive patients at the hospital • Maximize the number of lives saved 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 7

Context and objectives Context example: Offer high quality ambulance service Lives Total Arrival time Quality time • better facilities at the hospital • more ambulances • improved stationing • training of drivers • medical education • emergency practice • medical equipment in ambulance saved 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 8

The frame: A kaleidoscope where you consider the alternatives in the light of the goals Decision frame • Decision context (problemstilling) – A certain situation that requires that something be done • The set of decision alternatives • Objectives Context * * ** – The important values at stake in the current context Objectives • Decision frame – The context pluss the objectives 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 9

Acting and thinking strategically • Different decision contexts correspond to different objectives • A decision context is defined by a set of alternatives • Different contexts may be embedded in each other • The wider the context, the deeper and more essential the corresponding objectives • In a strategic context all possible alternatives are available. • The corresponding objectives are strategic objectives 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 10

Strategic and context depended objectives Stategic Context * * *** * * ** Spesific context Context dependent objectives Strategic Objectives 3/1/2021 Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 11

Important properties for the set of decision criteria • controllable • essential reflect the important issues that make the decision context interesting and explains why it is hard to choose • complete all important aspects concerning the consequences must be incorporated • concise • measurable we can measure rather precisely to which degree the goals are attained • understandable it must be possible for the decision maker to judge upon the relative importance of the goals use as few goals as possible • non-overlapping do not double count possible consequences • decomposable it is possible to evaluate one goal attainment without knowing the others 3/1/2021 they include only aspects that can be influenced by the decision maker. Fair weather as a goal is not useful • operational it must be possible to predict with reasonable accuracy and costs what the consequences of alternative actions will be Fred Wenstøp: Value. Focus 12