Decision Making / 1 / 1.5 / 1.5.9

1.5.9 Human Decision Making—Different Perspectives On The Same Problem

Stakeholders can have very different perspectives on any given situation—one will view a glass of water as half full, whilst another will view it as half empty. Kosko (1993) observes that this demands a different way of viewing problems, a way that accommodates ‘fuzzy logic’, where there are many shades of grey.

The need to accommodate perspectives of stakeholders was recognised by Vickers (1970). Klein (1998) suggests each stakeholder relates to a different set of cues and builds on his or her own situation awareness, or perspective. The importance of stakeholder perspectives and the contribution to richness in problem conceptualisation made through accommodating varying perspectives cannot be underestimated.