In a range of computer simulation experiments conducted by theoretical psychologist Dietrich Dörner, some common traits were found in the bad decision-makers:<ul><li>They focus on only one aspect of the problem, but most problems may be multidimensional.</li><li>They jump haphazardly from one problem to another.</li><li>They do not factor in the indirect consequences of their actions.</li></ul>

Bad Decision Makers

In the same experiment, there were traits discovered for good decision-makers:<ul><li>They tend to think and act holistically.</li><li>Their approach towards a problem is systematic.</li><li>They are willing to try diverse approaches, showing open-mindedness.</li></ul>

Good Decision Makers

Good Decision-makers always ask 'Why?' Asking 'Why?' several times gets to the core issue and provides us with insight into the real reason for solving a particular problem.

Asking Why

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Back in the 1980s, a German theoretical psychologist named Dietrich D&#246;rner conducted a fascinating series of experiments that offered amazing insights into the differences between good decision makers and bad ones.
He and his team used computers to create simulations of complex, interconnected systems ranging from small towns to African countries. Each of these systems was beset with a host of problems that threatened their very survival - everything from high infant mortality rates and drought to underperforming schools and stagnant industries. Then D&#246;rner gave his research subjects dictatorial powers over those systems and challenged them so solve their underlying problems. It was like an early version of SimCity, albeit much darker and more complex.
Over the course of these experiments, D&#246;rner discovered that bad decision makers shared several common traits. They focused on one aspect of the problem, rather than thinking complexly about all of the different moving pieces. They also jumped from one problem to another, rushing to spray water on one fire after another without ever putting any of them out. And they failed to anticipate the indirect consequences of their actions.
D&#246;rner discovered that good decision makers also shared many common traits. They tended to think holistically, to approach problems methodically, and they were willing to try different approaches until they found one that worked.
But one of the most important things good decision makers did was ask "Why?"
<figure><div><img src="https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/1182455642/960x0.jpg?fit=scale"></div>
<figcaption><fbs-accordion>Woman and ,, Why? " on blackboard
</fbs-accordion>Getty</figcaption></figure> As D&#246;rner wrote in his excellent book, The Logic Failure:
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... the good participants asked more why questions (as opposed to what questions). They were more interested in the causal links behind events ... The bad participants, by contrast, tended to take events at face value and to regard them as unconnected. A related finding was that good participants dug deeper in their analyses than bad ones did.
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D&#246;rner was not the first person to appreciate the power of asking "Why?"
Toyota's founder, Sakichi Toyoda, believed that asking "Why?" five times would reveal the root cause of any problem. In the 1950s, his deceptively simple method was codified by legendary quality guru Taiichi Ohno as part of the vaunted Toyota Production System.
Toyoda's Five Whys is one of the simplest Red Team Thinking&#174; tools we teach, but also one of the most powerful. One of our clients rewrote its entire turnaround strategy because a 30-minute Five Whys exercise revealed that it was trying to fix the wrong problem.
I believe why is one of the most powerful words in the English language. Asking "Why?" should be the first thing you, as a thinking leader, do when confronted with any problem. And you should keep asking "Why?" until you get to its root cause - because addressing the root cause is the only way to really solve a problem and make sure it stays solved.
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Back in the 1980s, a German theoretical psychologist named Dietrich Dörner conducted a fascinating series of experiments that offered amazing insights into the differences between good decision makers and bad ones. He and his team used computers to create simulations of complex, interconnected systems ranging from small towns to African countries.

In 2020, Resolve To Ask "Why?"

Bad Decision Makers

Good Decision Makers

Asking Why

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