Value focused thinking

1. Value focused thinking Fred Wenstøp Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus

2. Important concepts • Decision context • some course of action must be taken • The context is indicated by the alternatives at hand • Goals • what essential values are at stake? • what state do we want to move towards • Means • are action oriented; they look good, but do not say why • means are often causally linked to several goals • Goals in one context can be means in a larger context • Decision frame • Decision context and goals Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus

3. Value structures • Means-objective (mål-middel) diagram • portray the causal relation between objectives and means • We ask: How can the goal be achieved? • They are typically diagrams, not hierarchies • Because of our tendency to focus on actions, we are prone to structure values in terms of means-objective diagrams • Goal-hierarchy • Instead we should explain what our values are • What are the important aspects of the objectives? • This breaks our objectives down into more concrete sub-objectives • eventually producing a set of decision criteria Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus

4. Example:Means-objective diagramfortraffic safety In principle, any box could be a top objective for a narrower decision context Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus

5. Example:Goal Hierarchyfortraffic safety Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus

6. Alternative objectives Minimize arrival time to accident spot Maximize the quality of ambulance personnel Minimize the time before the patient arrive at the hospital Maximize the number of lives saved Alternative measures More ambulances, improved stationing, training of drivers Training of drivers, medical education, emergency practice More ambulances, improved stationing, training of drivers, medical education, emergency practice, medical equipment for faster diagnoses in ambulance More ambulances, improved stationing, training of drivers, medical education, emergency practice, medical equipment for faster diagnoses in ambulance, better facilities to receive patients at the hospital Context and objective Context example: Offer high quality ambulance service Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus

7. Context and objectives Context example: Offer high quality ambulance service Lives saved • better facilities at the hospital • more ambulances • improved stationing • training of drivers • medical education • emergency practice • medical equipment in ambulance Total time Arrival time Quality Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus

8. The frame: A kaleidoscope where you consider the alternatives in the light of the goals Decision frame Context • Decision context (problemstilling) • A certain situation that requires that something be done • The set of decision alternatives • Objectives • The important values at stake in the current context • Decision frame • The context pluss the objectives * * * * * * * * * Objectives Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus

9. Acting and thinking strategically • Different decision contexts correspond to different objectives • A decision context is defined by a set of alternatives • Different contexts may be embedded in each other • The wider the context, the deeper and more essential the corresponding objectives • In a strategic context all possible alternatives are available. • The corresponding objectives are strategic objectives Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus

10. Strategic and context depended objectives Stategic Context * * * * * Spesific context * * * * * Context dependent objectives * * * * Strategic Objectives Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus

11. essential reflect the important issues that make the decision context interesting and explains why it is hard to choose complete all important aspects concerning the consequences must be incorporated concise use as few goals as possible non-overlapping do not double count possible consequences decomposable it is possible to evaluate one goal attainment without knowing the others controllable they include only aspects that can be influenced by the decision maker. Fair weather as a goal is not useful measurable we can measure rather precisely to which degree the goals are attained understandable it must be possible for the decision maker to judge upon the relative importance of the goals operational it must be possible to predict with reasonable accuracy and costs what the consequences of alternative actions will be Important properties for the set of decision criteria Fred Wenstøp: ValueFocus