Decision-Making Steps: Social Work Technology

Decision-Making Steps: Social Work Technology by Daniel Keeran, MSW, Victoria, Canada College of Mental Health Counselling In order for the steps to be effective, all participants must be committed to the process described here. Step One: Identify Issues or Concerns* 1. Make a numbered list of issues or concerns. 2. Write down the number of the issue most important to you that you want to find a solution to. (If you are more than one person, compare the choices of everyone and begin with the issue having the most choices or votes.) Step Two: Create Different Solutions** 1. Write down your most important issue. 2. Below the issue, write down a list of numbers only, as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 or more. 3. Beside each number write down a suggested solution you can think of without evaluating or judging the merits of each solution as you write them down. Step Three: Reach An Agreement or Create An Action Plan 1. Circle or check the number of three or four possible solutions that you think may work best or seems most practical to address the issue or concern. 2. These are the beginning of your action plan or agreement with self or others. If more than one person is involved in decision-making, each person privately selects possible solutions, then compares choices to see what solutions are chosen by the most people to form an initial agreement. Step Four: Decide A Time To Implement the Agreement or Action Plan Depending on the issue, volunteers can be invited and a time can be determined to implement the agreement or action plan. (This step is essential to taking action.) Step Five: Repeat Steps Two through Four for the second, third, fourth, etc. issues listed and prioritized in Step One *If the issues are related to differences in philosophy, religion, personal taste, or if agreement cannot be reached, the following approaches may provide a solution: agree to disagree, flip a coin, take turns or agree to different or alternating action plans, implement trial time periods to try different plans, or return to the above process. **To increase the number of ideas in Step Two, the individual can think or the facilitator can say: a. Let’s write down what’s happening now, because that is always a choice. b. What’s the opposite of what’s happening now? c. What is a fantasy of what you might like to see happen but you don’t think is possible? d. Think of an approach that seems silly or ridiculous. (This can unleash your creativity.) e. Imagine what someone you respect (a relative or other wise person) might say as a solution. f. The facilitator says: I can think of a possible solution that would work well and that no one has mentioned. Can anyone quess what it is? (the facilitator writes down ideas the participants guess to increase the number of solutions) g. My idea is ...... (facilitator adds his or her solution to the numbered list).