Its the Decision Making--really?
One of the conclusions of The Challenger Accident report was, The decision making process was flawed.? Almost forty years later, this still rings pretty hollow--blame the decision making process rather than the negotiation during which decisions are made.
The FAA's final report on the Boeing 737-9 Max's missing door plug bolts seems to echo the Challenger's conclusions that blame the decision making process. SMS is all about decision making. It has to be a decision maker's tool...not separate and distinct from business and operational decision making.
I would argue that it's not the decision making process but their negotiation. Our inability to implement decisions in the face of mounting social and/or political pressure seems more accurate. Quality systems must be designed to withstand politics so that heroics aren't required for the right decisions to be made.
Several good quality systems have evolved since Challenger.? And all have had strong decision making gates.? But if enforcement requires decision makers jumping in front of a train, the decision making process cannot possibly prevail.? What is needed, then, is a negotiation process that supports decision making, especially when they are unpopular.
Every decision we make whether buying a car or launching a NASA space craft involves negotiation. And whoever is the best equipped with negotiating strategies will prevail, regardless of the validity of their decisions or the decision making process. This suggests that negotiation should be included in quality system training programs.
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The gold standard for negotiating is Getting to Yes by Fisher and Ury.? Based on a Harvard Business School thesis, it became an instant bestseller. It's goal was to explain the key ingredients to all successful agreements. And since all sales folks study it, you'll realize why they always ask if your spouse is nearby.
Even it's very first principle, Separate People from the Issues, covers much of the decision making process. Its second principle, Focus on Interest versus Positions, explains why as soon as you feel compelled to throw your resume into the mix, you've already thrown in the towel and you might as well go home.
Getting to Yes by Fisher and Ury is a good read with some valuable tips and techniques. Admittedly, parts of it sound like the Ferrengi Rules of Acquisition like tie break by shifting to procedural criteria which basically means, anybody want a coffee?? But the bottom line here is, it will help you negotiate instead of caving. And that's really the only way to avoid bad decisions.
And here's the acid test--read the book and immediately visit the car dealer. Those guys are expert at negotiating, having had to study the same text. So, if you can withstand the withering arguments offered by the car dealer, maybe you can stand up to the boss, next week.? At least, it's something to think about.?