Guy, "Guidelines for Making Complex Rational Decisions"
Notable because complex ethical decision-making can be regarded as a special case of complex rational decision-making
SOURCE FOR THE PROCEDURE
Guy, Mary E. "Decision Making." Ethical Decision Making in Everyday Work Situations. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1990: 25-44.
According to Guy, ethical decision-making procedures are specialized versions of more general
rational decision-making procedures.
THE PROCEDURE ITSELF
- Define the problem.
- Identify the goal to be achieved.
- Specify all dimensions of the problem.
- List all possible solutions to each dimension.
- Evaluate alternative solutions to each dimension regarding the likelihood of each to maximize the important values at stake.
- Eliminate alternatives which are too costly, not feasible, or maximize the wrong values when combined with solutions to other dimensions.
- Rank the alternatives to each dimension according to which are most likely to maximize the most important values.
- Select the alternative to each dimension that is most likely to work in the context of the problem while maximizing the important values at stake.
- Combine the top ranking alternatives for each dimension of the problem in order to develop a solution to the problem as a whole.
- Make a commitment to the choice and implement it.
WALT'S CHECKLIST
The same checklist was applied to all procedures.
- This method is most useful when the DECISION-MAKER ...
- can tolerate ambiguity, complexity or conflict [step 3]
- has high initial sensitivity to relevant "features" [step 1]
- has plenty of time for investigation and analysis [steps 4 and 5]
- is skilled in causal or consequential reasoning [step 5]
- This method is most useful in a SITUATION ...
- that will change little over time
- where an optimal decision is required [step 7]
- This method is most useful when STAKEHOLDERS ...
- share values [steps 5, 7 and 8]
