Indecision: A Corporate Malaise?

In my school days, an innocuous prose created much flutter, not because of its style of writing but for the subject it dealt with. It was an article from Winnowed Wisdom (1926), written by great humourist and educator Stephen Leacock that dwelt on interpreting old proverbs in a new perspective. Leacock analysed some of the proverbs and went on to substantiate that "they are all out of date". In a sheer coincidence, I have had a sense of déjà vu, which led me to think and examine the veracity of a particular adage.

Recently, one of my immediate supervisors asked me to explore office branding with some nice messages as we were moving to a new building within our office campus. The brief was to make a 'motivating' workplace with some interesting messages. My hands were full with other communication requirements at that point in time and somehow I discussed about this open brief with our creative agency. I was looking for some options which were simple yet funny. After two rounds of back-and-forth versions that did not qualify the ask of the supervisor, I relooked at the task and re-briefed the agency to try out some Dilbert quotes. I then proceeded to do a kriegspiel to check the quirky lines on those in authority over us. It was shot down immediately. I was wondering then what would be 'funny', 'motivational' and not 'offensive' as the brief seemed to be hovering in the contours of a 'sanitised culture'. It requires a lot of gumption to admit and submit to something unconventional that makes a culture - from a stodgy to an open office culture.

Some rounds of creative iterations and we seemed to have found the 'desired' route. I interspersed some previous quotes with the current ones to make a long list. The short-listing process was quick and the approval was done without any fuss. The layouts of the creative were different and lively with some interesting lines related to office lingo.

After some days, in one fine morning when all started walking in, they found something new, colourful and to some extent quirky which pleasantly surprised them. That day everyone was talking about it and my boss looked happy. He conveyed it to me and asked me to explore many such things. After some days the messages literally started to sink into my mind and I actually found some relevance of what was created - which I had done subconsciously. One message which is placed just behind my workstation seems to be very striking and powerful, which otherwise looks like a mere funny statement at the first sight. This has made me to think, deliberate and evaluate the impact of its cogency in an organization that is consumer or business facing and has a considerable workforce.
'Indecision is the key to flexibility'

The single thought that came to my mind is whether it is worthwhile to look at it in a different perspective or it is a mere cognition that provides reference to insights and reasoning in a corporate setup. In life as well as at our workplaces, we face some situations where decision making process is often bound by some objective and end results that impact us, personally or professionally, in long or short terms. The dilemma in making decision in corporates sometimes makes or breaks the health of an organisation.

American psychologist Barry Schwartz in The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less maintains that it is impossible to make rational decision when endless opportunities clutter the mind - a modern malady known as "option paralysis". Schwartz's context of reference was a tad different - shoppers' choice, but it still holds true in the realm of decision making. Jarod Kintz, in This Book Title Is Invisible, has stated that when faced with "two equally tough choices, most people choose the third choice: to not choose".

According to Eva Milko (MD of Procurement Leaders) it is the "corporate hot potato, thrown around until someone has had enough or until we completely forget what needed to be decided on in the first place".

Clearly, the dilemma remains when one has a choice of similarly good or bad options, not trusting one's own experience or judgement, or perhaps a conflict between two competing imperatives. The moot point here is whether it concedes flexibility.

There are many models and techniques available on decision making process and management experts track them over a period of time. However, I shall not box my thoughts in that but explore and identify the impact areas that I had observed or experienced, directly or indirectly, in my professional career.
I have worked in both B2C and B2B organisations - large Indian corporates, MNCs and promoter-driven organisations - over the years. Though there is parity in overall functions and verticals in all organizations, the difference lies in the size and scale of business.

1. Inaction more than action - In many situations whether it is new product launch or alliances, there have been more discussions than getting them off the hook for execution. As a result competition takes the lead and subsequent review meetings there are regrets, blame-game and so on for not taking any action on time. Bottom line: Get into execution mode once the overall plan is vetted even if the possibility of success is projected as 60-80%.

2. Limit of analysis - In many review meetings or management discussions seeking information through data plays a very significant role and there is nothing wrong in that approach. However, there is often an inclination to use data in such a way that leads to many options and hence more data crunching to identify the right approach or end result. Bottom line: Avoid paralysis by analysis. Act, examine your results, make adjustments, and move on.

3. Trust your gut - There is a saying that "If you don't make the right decision, you can make the decision right." Dealing with uncertainty and manoeuvering through it require a clear thinking. Some leaders use this as a calculated risk and absorb criticism if one ends up making a poor choice. Bottom line: If it is a 'wrong' decision, you should be able to identify the mistakes, learn from it and take midway course correction.

4. Illusion of flexibility - This is common when an employer changes the way you may declare something, or options they have put out for you to choose between - be it policy decision or HR related actions. It's actually about eliminating all your other options. It means no alternatives. No plan B's. Bottom line: If you are still having trouble, you must be struggling with a much deeper issue. Address that first.

5. Decision is only symbolic - One will fight hard for a policy, a business plan or a strategic issue and then be indifferent to its implementation. It is simply an act of "clearing your plate." Bottom line: This is more dangerous than an inaction. If it happens repeatedly, raise an alarm among peer groups and address ownership issue of the project.

6. Procrastination Vs perfection - Sometimes, procrastination is cocooned in the name of perfection and delays are projected as legitimate ones. There are benefits to mindful and thoughtful consideration. But much of corporate waiting is simply being lazy and fearful, not wanting to take on the responsibility for a potentially damaging decision. Bottom line: If the delays are identified as unnecessary, grab the bull by the horn.

There is no one set guideline for all decisions and one needs to try one's best to use each appropriately. Categorical imperatives are difficult to find and arrive at. The real challenge is that everyone has different beliefs or different combinations of beliefs on different ethical dilemmas, different levels of knowing, varying degrees of moral development, even diametrically opposing beliefs.

Not all decisions are created equal. Truth is most indecision stems largely from fear. The fear of making a mistake where your decision is concerned. I found that sometimes it is an intentional delay to put a real issue under the carpet. I will end with a famous quote of Shakespeare in Hamlet.

"To be, or not to be: that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?"

The reason for Hamlet's delay in avenging his father's death is never settled by the critics. The strange void at the centre of Hamlet becomes a symbolic expression of the Western and modern malaise, no less powerful than the most brilliant attempts to define the problem. Similarly, indecision in a corporate is the 'malaise' that weakens the final choice and ultimately prompts an action - it is indecision that itself is a decision.