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Beschreibung

Dramatically improve your decisions with data and AI

In Decision Intelligence: Transform Your Team and Organization with AI-Driven Decision-Making, a team of pioneering decision and AI strategists delivers a digestible and hands-on resource for professionals at every part of the decision-making journey. The book discusses the latest technology and approaches that bridge the gap between behavioral science, data science, and technological innovation.

Discover how leaders from various industries and environments are using data and AI to make better future decisions, taking both human as well as business factors into account. This book covers:

  • A demystifying behind-the-scenes peek inside how AI models, forecasts, and optimization for business challenges really work, and why they open up entirely new possibilities.
  • A business-ready introduction to decision intelligence, exploring why traditional decision-making strategies are outdated and how to transition to decision-intelligence.
  • The evolution of Decision Intelligence, coming from analytics and modern techniques like process mining and robotic process automation
  • An examination of decision intelligence at the organizational level, including discussions of agile transformation, transparent organizational culture, and why psychological safety is a crucial enabler for new ways of decision-making in modern companies
  • An overview of why (and where exactly) AI still needs human expertise and how to incorporate this topic in daily planning and decision making

Decision Intelligence is essential reading for managers, executives, board members, other business leaders and soon-to-be leaders looking to improve the quality, adaptability, and speed of their decision-making.


Praise for Decision Intelligence

"In Decision Intelligence, Thorsten Heilig and Ilhan Scheer build a compelling case for the world of tomorrow’s version of decision-making.”
―Martin Lindstrom, New York Times best-selling author

"Decision Intelligence will be one of the big topics for this decade and completely change the way organizations manage, plan, and operate. This book provides a comprehensive guide from the basics to the applications."
―Niklas Jansen, Entrepreneur and Tech Investor, Founding Partner Interface Capital and Co-Founder Blinkist

"The book impressively demonstrates the potential and entry points into the world of AI-powered decision making. A very valuable reading for managers and their organizations".
―Michael Kleinemeier, Member of the Merck KG Board of Partners, former Member of the SAP SE Executive Board

“The AI hype perfectly captured, easy to understand, de-mystified and mapped to clear use cases - a must-read for today's managers.”
―Dr. Daniela Gerd tom Markotten, Member of the Management Board for Digitalization and Technology, Deutsche Bahn AG

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Table of Contents

Cover

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Figures List

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Note

CHAPTER 1: Decoding Decision-Making: Good and Bad Decisions

How to Measure the Quality of a Decision

The History of Decision-Making

The Impact of Technology on Business Decision-Making in the 21st Century

Regaining the Human Aspects

Notes

CHAPTER 2: Why Traditional Decision-Making Is Broken

The New (Corporate) Normal: An Increasingly Dynamic and Complex Reality with Uncertainties

Why Data Analytics and Business Intelligence Can't Keep up with the New Reality

The Illusion of Human Control: Will We Ever Be Able to Make the Best Possible Choice?

Notes

CHAPTER 3: Decision Intelligence: Making Relevant Information Visible and Actionable

How to Shift Your Decision-Making Perspective

The Ultimate Partnership Between Humans and Machines

Note

CHAPTER 4: The Business Value of Decision Intelligence

From Using DI as a Strategy to DecisionOS

Step up the Operational Game: Recurring Use-Cases for Companies

CHAPTER 5: Decision Intelligence in Practice: Industry Examples of Applied DI

DI in Logistics

DI in Retail

DI in Pricing and Marketing

Notes

CHAPTER 6: The Technology Stack: Applying AI Systems for Decision-Making

Data, the Backbone to Leverage Business Value

Artificial Intelligence: Understanding the Patterns Behind

Optimization Is Key for Better Business Outcomes

Notes

CHAPTER 7: Decision Intelligence Organization: The Key to Unlocking the True Potential of Data-Driven Decision-Making

Culture Eats Intelligent Decision-Making for Breakfast

Ways of Working in DI Organizations

The Four Rs of the DI Organization

Cultivating a DI Organization: A Symphony of Skills

Recognizing Biases in Your Decision-Making Process

Note

CHAPTER 8: Leading a Decision Intelligence Organization

Trust and Courage

Transparency and Experimentation

Psychological Safety: The Secret Ingredient for a Decision Intelligence Organization

Embracing Failure and Forging Forward

Epilogue

References

Additional Resources

Index

End User License Agreement

List of Illustrations

Chapter 2

FIGURE 2.1 The road to 100 million monthly active users.

FIGURE 2.2 The Cynefin framework.

FIGURE 2.3 Decision Intelligence, the business trend of the future.

Chapter 3

FIGURE 3.1 The six levels of autonomous driving.

FIGURE 3.2 The three levels of Decision Intelligence augmentation.

Chapter 4

FIGURE 4.1 Client use-case: realized potential after the start of DI initiat...

FIGURE 4.2 Example for use-cases along the value chain/supply chain.

Chapter 5

FIGURE 5.1 Thickness of paper per fold.

FIGURE 5.2 Schematic overview: warehouse scenario.

FIGURE 5.3 The effect of short-term bookings on costs per mile.

FIGURE 5.4 Trade-off view with optimal solutions for two targets.

FIGURE 5.5 Example of order list recommendations.

FIGURE 5.6 Example trade-off view for a channel manager.

FIGURE 5.7 Optimized trade-offs for budget channel mix.

FIGURE 5.8 Example dashboard view of a Decision Intelligence platform (paret...

Chapter 6

FIGURE 6.1 Effort and impact of implementing different technologies within a...

FIGURE 6.2 Ambiguous picture of a young woman and an old woman.

FIGURE 6.3 Example of a representation without and with ontology of interact...

FIGURE 6.4 A simple linear regression model example based on given data poin...

FIGURE 6.5 Two different possible models fitted on the same data.

FIGURE 6.6 A schematic view of different model classes based on data availab...

FIGURE 6.7 Time series forecast including dynamic uncertainty bounds for bet...

FIGURE 6.8 Causal diagram of a business problem building the ground truth fo...

FIGURE 6.9 Pareto frontier showing the trade-off between costs and percentag...

Chapter 7

FIGURE 7.1 The four Rs of a DI organization framework.

Guide

Cover

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Figures List

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Begin Reading

Epilogue

References

Index

End User License Agreement

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Praise for Decision Intelligence

“In Decision Intelligence, Thorsten Heilig and Ilhan Scheer build a compelling case for the world of tomorrow's version of decision-making.”

—Martin LindstromNew York Times best-selling author

“Decision Intelligencewill be one of the big topics for this decade and completely change the way organizations manage, plan, and operate. This book provides a comprehensive guide from the basics to the applications.”

—Niklas JansenEntrepreneur and Tech Investor, Founding Partner Interface Capital and Co-Founder Blinkist

“The book impressively demonstrates the potential and entry points into the world of AI-powered decision making. A very valuable reading for managers and their organizations.”

—Michael KleinemeierMember of the Merck KG Board of Partners, former Member of the SAP SE Executive Board

“The AI hype perfectly captured, easy to understand, de-mystified, and mapped to clear use cases. A must-read for today's managers.”

—Dr. Daniela Gerd tom MarkottenMember of the Management Board for Digitalization and Technology, Deutsche Bahn AG

“Artificial Intelligence can help leaders make better decisions and is thus crucial to maintain competitive edge. Thorsten and Ilhan tangibly describe the fundamentals of Decision Intelligence and how to practically apply it to your business as well as how to healthily balance the human-machine interactions. An indispensable read!”

—Florian Reuterformer CEO of Volocopter, World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer

“Smart decisions are equally crucial in poker and in organizations! The concepts discussed in this book are the exciting approach to bring together human intuition and state-of-the-art AI and Machine Learning to make better decisions within companies and teams.”

—Fedor HolzEntrepreneur and 2x Poker World Champion

“For the very first time, an unprecedented era of artificial intelligence has surpassed the domain of spellcheckers, chess, and facial recognition, attaining superhuman prowess in solving intricate real-world challenges. This book perfectly captures an important perspective on the most rapid Industrial Revolution to date, bearing both opportunities and profound responsibilities, not solely upon technologists, but shared among entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts across every discipline.”

—Jonas AndrulisFounder & CEO Aleph Alpha

“With its profound insights into Decision Intelligence, this book delivers a wealth of benefits to C-level executives, decision-makers, and students alike. A true source of inspiration, it illuminates the path to a future where data and AI-based forecasting intertwine, unlocking plenty of opportunities.”

—Prof. Dr. Frauke Schleer-van GellecomPartner PwC

“Decision Intelligencegives future-shapers a good look at Artificial Intelligence and Data. The book shows how modern predictive analytics and human intuition form the basis for making decisions for a more complex world, taking people in the company along on this journey.”

—Kay SchieburGroup Executive Vice President Services at the Otto Group

“On the back of the rapid development of IoT, 5G SA and hardware, entirely new opportunities for AI-driven innovation in organizations are emerging, as described in this book. It will create a new generation and level of unbeatable automated industrialization and intelligent and connected production cycles.”

—Hannes Ametsreiterformer CEO Germany and Member of the Group Executive Committee, Vodafone

“Decision Intelligence is currently one of the central topics in organizations worldwide to be prepared for the future. Finally, this mega-trend is also captured in a book in a compact, holistic, and entertaining way!”

—Heiko KahrelsPartner Decision Intelligence, EY Germany

“An easy read with a deep understanding of the various ways AI can be leveraged for modern organizations. Should be a must-read in board rooms, business classes and leadership programs.”

—Christoph BurkhardtKeynote Speaker, Author Don't be a Robot, former CEO One Life, Founder Tiny Box

“In a world driven by data, our true compass remains human intuition. Embrace AI, but never let it overshadow the warmth of human understanding. This book describes in an extremely readable way how to bring these two worlds together.”

—Ronald Van LoonCEO Intelligent World, Top10 AI-Data-IoT-Influencer

“The greatest business transformation of our time—well summarized in one book and, above all, presented and distilled into an applicable format for companies. Clear reading recommendation for startups to large corporations!”

—Andreas UnseldTech Investor, General Partner UVC

“Most AI technologies are known for over 30 years but their application is still limited. This tangible book provides the missing ingredients to close the gap between technology and human decision making to unlock the full potential of AI.”

—Fabian RangCofounder & CTO paretos

THORSTEN HEILIG ILHAN SCHEER

Decision Intelligence

TRANSFORM YOUR TEAM AND ORGANIZATION WITH AI-DRIVEN DECISION-MAKING

 

 

 

 

Copyright © 2024 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Cover Design: Paul McCarthy

 

 

 

“Every single decision we make, every breath we draw, opens some doors and closes many others. Most of them we don't notice. Some we do.”

—Douglas Adams

Figures List

Chapter 2

Figure 2.1  The road to 100 million monthly active users.

Figure 2.2  The Cynefin framework.

Figure 2.3  Decision Intelligence, the business trend of the future.

Chapter 3

Figure 3.1  The six levels of autonomous driving.

Figure 3.2  The three levels of Decision Intelligence augmentation.

Chapter 4

Figure 4.1  Client use-case: realized potential after the start of a DI initiatives.

Figure 4.2  Example for use-cases along the value chain/supply chain.

Chapter 5

Figure 5.1  Thickness of paper per fold.

Figure 5.2  Schematic overview: warehouse scenario.

Figure 5.3  The effect of short-term bookings on costs per mile.

Figure 5.4  Trade-off view with optimal solutions for two targets.

Figure 5.5  Example of order list recommendations.

Figure 5.6  Example trade-off view for a channel manager.

Figure 5.7  Optimized trade-offs for budget channel mix.

Figure 5.8  Example dashboard view of a Decision Intelligence platform (paretos).

Chapter 6

Figure 6.1  Effort and impact of implementing different technologies within a business.

Figure 6.2  Ambiguous picture of a young woman and an old woman.

Figure 6.3  Example of a representation without and with ontology of interacting parameters.

Figure 6.4  A simple linear regression model example based on given data points for one input parameter.

Figure 6.5  Two different possible models fitted on the same data.

Figure 6.6  A schematic view of different model classes based on data availability.

Figure 6.7  Time series forecast including dynamic uncertainty bounds for better interpretability.

Figure 6.8  Causal diagram of a business problem building the ground truth for a digital twin.

Figure 6.9  Pareto frontier showing the trade-off between costs and percentage of CO

2

heavy emission from energy production.

Chapter 7

Figure 7.1  The four Rs of a DI organization framework.

Foreword

In the fast-paced, dynamic world of business, we are making decisions every second. As technology accelerates the pace of change, we find ourselves constantly responding to new information, new opportunities, and new challenges. Yet some of the world's best thinkers, philosophers, and business leaders – think Steve Jobs, for instance – have been known for taking long pauses, sometimes even up to 30 seconds, before sharing their responses. I remain convinced that, in all the rush, good decisions require reflection and intuition. Sound decisions emerge out from quiet reflections, from calm environments, and from conversations that allow many voices to be heard, to grow equally balanced thought patterns, and then make the call.

Consider this: we're often seduced by the promise of data, its ability to recount where we've been with unwavering certainty. It's alluring, isn't it? But let's step back for a moment and think about it. Can data, in its cold precision, truly illuminate where we are heading? Perhaps not.

Data, while valuable, is like a rearview mirror. It can perfectly detail the road traveled, but the path ahead? That's a different story. The future is uncharted territory, a journey not yet embarked upon, a tale not yet told.

In our quest to navigate the future, we mustn't lose sight of our uniquely human insight. It's our compass, our guiding star. It transcends the reach of data, infusing our decisions with the warmth of human understanding, empathy, and intuition. These human elements shape not just the decisions we make but also the very fabric of our interactions. In a world bewitched by data, let's not forget our inherent human ability to dream, to imagine, and to create – to chart a course toward a future not yet seen. After all, isn't it these human insights that truly hold the power to tell us where the world is heading?

However, with the emergence of Decision Intelligence – a new discipline that courageously combines human intuition and artificial intelligence for strategic and operational planning – I do see a promising shift on the horizon. This book, Decision Intelligence: Transform Your Team and Organization with AI-Driven Decision-Making, by Thorsten Heilig and Ilhan Scheer, masterfully captures this evolution.

The book presents an approach that might indeed predict where the world is heading in our ever-changing business landscape. It advocates a balanced and nuanced way of decision-making that draws on both data and human insights. This dual-pronged approach could potentially revolutionize how we make decisions, bringing a level of foresight and strategic thinking previously unattainable.

Recently, when I spent time with the CEO of one of the leading FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) companies in the US, I asked him how much time he spent by himself only – away from screens, his phone, and meeting rooms – just reflecting on the situation. He paused and was silent for nearly two minutes. Then he answered, “Right now is probably the longest time I've had in the past years thinking about a question.” That very week, he reserved the first four hours of every Friday morning for what he called “thinking time.”

Here's the issue: we rarely take the time to think deeply, and in a world where answers are expected not in hours but in minutes, we often share reactive rather than proactive thoughts. If this becomes part of our behavior, our routine, our brains adapt. We're suddenly no longer comfortable spending time alone, without a smartphone at the ready, or without hearing that constant string of dings signaling incoming emails – because it makes us feel like we've been disconnected. Useless, irrelevant. Out of tune. All while the world – with the latest version of ChatGPT – passes us by at breakneck speed.

Six years ago, I jumped into the ocean of silence. I got rid of my phone. Not just the smart version, but every version. Not an easy task given that I spent more than a million miles a year in the air, traveling across the globe. The week after the beginning of my detox, I experienced a sense of loneliness, emptiness, even despair – something akin to what an addict might feel as they do the hard and necessary work of going through withdrawal.

But over time, I felt my way of thinking change. My personal assistant told me I was much easier to deal with – not sending and resending the same orders repeatedly, as she expressed it. My clients even embraced the idea, at first thinking it was a joke, then realizing it might be a source of my creativity and balanced reflections.

These pauses help us to put things in perspective, change directions, reflect, and simulate scenarios that may at first seem trivial, but once pondered they often make a lot of sense. How can we possibly make any of these great calls if the speed of reply time is what is perceived as the KPI?

Time after time I've met great leaders out in the world, and many seem to have adopted pauses in their everyday lives – breaks in the busy daily calendar meant for intentional reflections. As ChatGPT seeps into every juncture of our lives and informs our decision-making, enabling us to craft essays, reflect on the most hardcore philosophical questions, or even conduct risk analysis in a matter of seconds, we'll all be tempted by the seduction it offers – making us more efficient, productive, perfect leaders and decision-makers – whereas one could easily argue that the exact opposite is the case.

In Decision Intelligence, Thorsten Heilig and Ilhan Scheer build a compelling case for the world of tomorrow's version of decision-making. It's a world representing tools unheard of just a year ago. Yet it's also a world where cultures are struggling to survive, where personal interactions are a thing of the past, where budgets are ever tighter, and where the legal implications have never been larger and the rewards smaller. The authors explore all of the potential wonders that AI brings to the table, the efficiencies that such technology offers, all while considering the flip side: the temptation to abuse it, the shortcuts, the assumptions, and the plain laziness.

This book is a delicately balanced cocktail – mixed up with knowledge, insight, and experience worth tapping into before you're tempted to assume that all AI tools are of highest caliber and quality.

Be warned that it will take you more than a few minutes to read the following pages. Asking ChatGPT, the chatbot informed me that it would take 262 minutes total. That's a lot if you evaluate things in terms of speed over quality. But if you believe that quality content – and time – is the most important asset of our day and age and a worthwhile investment for the future, well, it's really not that much at all. Especially since you are increasingly more likely to be dumped into another round of decision-making – where AI seems to be the first point on the agenda.

—Martin Lindstrom, New York Times best-selling author of Buyology, Small Data, and The Ministry of Common Sense

Acknowledgments

Sometimes life plays in strange coincidences. When we had the idea for the book three years ago, Decision Intelligence (DI) was still very small as a topic. Moreover, almost no one called it that. But then DI suddenly went through the roof, first in the bubble of digital and research companies, then in consulting. After OpenAI launched ChatGPT at the end of 2022, the notion of using AI for decision-making became widespread, even though ChatGPT itself is a bad decision for good decision-making. Nevertheless, it paved the way for incorporating AI into everyday applications.

Let's be honest: we always had the book on our list, but the project was “one of many.” But then Wiley approached us, noticing the growing demand for Decision Intelligence. From minute one we shared the excitement for examining the topic from both a technological and a cultural standpoint. The journey of transforming organizations into DI organizations is a huge shift, and humans are still at the heart of it.

So, thanks to the Wiley teams in the US and in Europe (Sally, Annie, Deborah, Amy, Jutta, and many more) supporting us on our way so patiently.

Call us dreamers, but we thought of writing this book in the same way it began. We sit in cozy cafes and are immersed in thoughts and discussions. Then Captain Reality kicked in and reminded us that we are not full-time authors but have demanding leadership roles in our organization. This is why this book demanded everything from us and our surroundings.

We can assure you that without the people around us, helping, supporting, and pushing, this book would have never ended up in your hands.

So, a big, big thank you to:

Fabian Rang, cofounder and CTO of paretos, who was a substantial part of building the tech chapters – and also a great proofreader and discussion partner for every topic

Tina Sternberg, the “master of text and content,” who was our stable pillar from the beginning, and while we were sometimes irritated by her asking for “which source, again?” ;) this really brought us to a next level here

Konrad Heimpel, for providing some more real-life use-cases for the “DI in practice”

Christoph Burkhardt and Magnus Haensler, who know how to write good books (for digital topics and for thriller novels) and supported us with good tips

Simon Kondermann, for the great sprint designing the illustrations

Ksenia Zheltoukhova, Alexander Schaper, Torin Monet, Dennis Nagel, and Enrico Ferro for the conversations, discussions, and challenging our thinking to bring this book to a new level of greatness

In addition, a big thank you to all the clients, investors, and other dialogue partners with whom we had discussions around the DI topic– it means a lot to us!

Last but definitely not least, we are really grateful for our private environment, which was so kind with us as we were writing and not being very social (especially at the end), and first and foremost we are grateful to our families (Jana, Elias, Leon, Lena, Oskar, Lotti, Juli) for being incredibly wonderful pillars and motivating us to make this possible!

Introduction

It was a warm day in Heidelberg, Germany, back in 2020, when we – Ilhan and Thorsten, two startup CEOs – found ourselves deep in conversation about our challenges. We were drinking a cappuccino and an Americano in Café Nomad, exchanging stories, experiences, and insights, coaching each other through the uncertainties ahead.

Ilhan, the founder of fable+, had successfully scaled the company over the years, transforming the way businesses approach team dynamics, data-driven change, and psychological safety with AI-driven decision engines. However, the unforeseen consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic introduced unpredictable and significant challenges to the consulting industry, which slowed the momentum of scaling.

Thorsten, on the other hand, had just come out of a corporate startup manager role with a suitcase full of exciting experiences. In light of the challenges he had seen, he was in the process of starting paretos, a pioneering company specializing in AI-fueled, data-driven decision-making (still rather an unknown field at the time), and faced the massive task of raising money for the new company against the backdrop of the pandemic. As we coached each other through the challenges of leadership, strategy, and decision-making, it became increasingly clear that Decision Intelligence was an area that warranted more attention, especially during these uncertain times. The ability to harness the power of data and human psychology to make informed decisions was a crucial skill for businesses navigating the rapidly changing landscape.

And so the idea for this book was born. We envisioned a comprehensive guide combining our unique expertise and experiences in Decision Intelligence, drawing from our respective backgrounds in psychological safety, team dynamics, data science, technology, and Pareto optimal optimization. Our goal was to empower leaders and organizations to make better decisions in the face of uncertainty and challenges, no matter how impossible they might seem. As the story unfolded, fable+ was successfully acquired by Accenture, paving the way for further growth and impact on a larger scale globally.1 Meanwhile, despite the challenges of raising capital during a global crisis, paretos successfully secured relevant funding, enabling the company to pursue its mission of optimizing business performance through data-driven decision-making.

In this book, we share our collective knowledge, experiences, and insights on Decision Intelligence, drawing from our respective journeys as leaders and entrepreneurs. We delve into the art and science of making informed decisions, exploring the various tools and techniques that can be employed to navigate the complex world of business.

We examine the importance of psychological safety, team dynamics, and the second great theory of Pareto (besides the well-known 80/20 Pareto principle) in shaping the decision-making process while discussing the role of technology, data analytics, and behavioral science in enhancing Decision Intelligence. Through a combination of case studies, practical examples, and expert advice, we aim to equip you, our readers, with the necessary skills and knowledge to make better decisions for your organizations, even in the most challenging circumstances.

One of the key challenges we faced was balancing the human and data-driven aspects of decision-making. We wanted to ensure that the book provided a holistic approach to Decision Intelligence, considering the decision-making process's emotional, cognitive, and analytical dimensions. We also wanted to address the common pitfalls and biases hindering effective decision-making. To this end, we have included chapters on cognitive biases, and emotional intelligence, providing readers with a comprehensive toolkit to overcome these obstacles and make more informed decisions.

Another challenge was distilling the vast amount of research and information on decision-making into an accessible and engaging format. We aimed to create a book that was informative and enjoyable to read, with a narrative that would resonate with a wide range of readers, from seasoned executives to aspiring entrepreneurs. The topic of Decision Intelligence has been greatly hyped in the tech world lately – not least since the introduction of ChatGPT and the GPT models – and it is finally clear to everyone: the age of AI in application has started.

Now, three years after that day in the coffee shop, we have combined our personal stories and experiences with insights from industry experts, academic research, and real-world case studies. By sharing our experiences and expertise we hope to contribute to a future where leaders and organizations are better equipped to navigate uncertainty, embrace change, and make strategic decisions that drive growth, innovation, and long-term success. As the world continues to evolve at an ever-increasing pace, the importance of effective decision-making cannot be overstated.

We believe that this book will provide you with an entertaining and substantial contribution to transform your teams and your organization from data-centric to decision-centric. We are already looking forward to your comments and views (including – with pleasure – even the critical ones) that you might want to share with us.

Hopefully, our book will inspire you to become an advocate for Decision Intelligence and the Decision Intelligence organization within your own sphere of influence, sharing your newfound knowledge and insights with colleagues, peers, and partners. Let's change how we approach decision-making, embracing the power of data, psychology, and human-centered design to create a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future for all.

All the best,Thorsten and IlhanHeidelberg, GermanyAugust 19, 2023

Note

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https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/accenture-acquires-fable-to-expand-capabilities-in-analytics-drivenand- workplace-cultures.htm

CHAPTER 1Decoding Decision-Making: Good and Bad Decisions

“Every decision you make affects every facet of your life.”

– Michael Jordan

Imagine sitting in a bustling café1 in Heidelberg with us, sipping a cup of coffee, watching people come and go. Your gaze lands on someone by the window, deep in thought, brow furrowed as they ponder a decision. We have all been in these moments – the complexity and difficulty of a decision weighing heavy on us, feeling like we have to navigate a maze of choices, trying to find the right directions.

In this chapter, we'll embark on an intellectual journey exploring the nuances of good and bad decisions and why the dichotomy of right and wrong is oversimplified. We will explore the intricacies of human decision-making, learning from history's greatest thinkers and discovering how the past can inform our present choices.