# Understanding Past Decisions By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-02-03 What were they thinking? When confronted by a seemingly absurd situation it is not uncommon to assume that the people who made the decisions leading to the current situation must have been a bunch of idiots. Maybe they were, but probably not. Chances are good that they were more like we are than we would like to admit. They were probably busy, overburdened, conflicted, and doing their best with what they had to work. Often in organizations, there are historical reports and memoranda. These are invaluable sources of information for understanding past decisions. However messed up the current situation is, at one time heading in this direction likely seemed like a good idea. At least to somebody. Sometimes random shocks occur which were entirely, or largely, unpredictable. Other times, key assumptions simply didn’t materialize the way they were envisioned. Reading the source documents as a historian might be enlightening. Humans working together determined a course of action. It is always easy to critique those decisions with the benefit of hindsight. In such situations, understanding is more useful than judgment. Examining things like how the situation was framed, what alternatives were assessed, and how much pressure was exerted can inform current situation decision-making processes. It is not enough to know that a decision was made that generated undesirable results. One benefits from understanding why and how the decision was made. Understanding past decisions, individual and organizational, allows for refinement and improvement. As the saying goes, “good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from poor judgment.” Learning from experience requires time to reflect. It is interesting when organizations think they do not have time for this activity. #### Related Items [[Learning]] [[Reflection]] [[Organizational Analytics]] [[Decision-making]] [[Thinking]]