Member Article

Launch of Optimal Decisions, the new decision-making optimisation and business transformation consultancy

Optimal Decisions, a new business transformation consultancy that enables business leaders to optimise their individual and team decision-making, has opened its doors for business.

The firm, headquartered in London, UK, has appointed change management expert and business transformation consultant Giorgia Prestento as CEO, and is focused on helping global organisations and teams apply the principles of good design to all their business decisions.

The service optimises business decision-making and addresses slow decisions, reluctance to make decisions, lack of consistency, endless meetings with no clear purpose and dysfunctional team behaviours.

Giorgia Prestento, CEO, Optimal Decisions, said: “There is a mystique around decision-making that needs dispelling. We take decision-making for granted, and we need to bring laser focus to this activity essential to the success of all organisations. It requires preparation and rigour, but often business decisions can dangerously ‘happen’ without objective scrutiny or an effective process.”

Giorgia, who has advised organisations including Vodafone, Shell and Pearson manage successful business transformation programmes, wants more widespread application of real science behind decision-making, rooted in understanding human behaviour.

Such an approach minimises the danger of subconscious biases and unexamined heuristics driving most of our decisions. Optimal Decisions helps clients set up effective processes to structure decisions, speed up meetings, and develop an inclusive working environment that optimises decision-making, improves delivery and performance and reduces potential business risks.

The firm’s unique decision-making model combines both academic and business perspectives, and is based on two foundations–Process and Group Dynamics–and accepts that we cannot control the outcome of a decision, as there are many external influences at play. Instead it encourages executive leaders to bring more structure to their decision-making process and to manage more effectively the dynamics of the teams making decisions.

She continued: “In these uncertain times, so much can and does change that you just can’t control the outcome of any decision. As the economic, market or regulatory situation fluctuates, things rarely turn out as you were expecting. The good news is that you can introduce effective processes that will help you and your teams make as good a decision as possible—it will also enable you to correct a decision in-flight as reality intervenes to still ‘land’ you where you need to be.”

Optimal Decisions Services: The business offers a portfolio of services including consulting, facilitation, training and coaching at both group and individual level to help medium and large global organisations reduce cost and time-wasting around decision-making.

Consulting Services We advise business leaders on how to optimise decision-making. The aim of the service is to create a more effective and ‘creative’ approach for board-level decisions, and consistency for “repetitive” decisions at operational level. The services can include activities to improve: the process, governance and decision presentation. The benefits are faster decisions, transparency and ownership. It will bring cost savings and increase productivity. Solutions are customised to the organisation’s unique culture and bring long-term benefits with a new approach to decision-making.

Facilitation Services We facilitate decision discussions so that the group focuses on what’s most important: decision-making. The dynamics of a group can have a negative impact on the final decision because of biases, polarisation, discouraging alternative perspectives and much more. The benefits are faster and more accurate decisions and equip the decision-maker with the best inputs and information. It also contributes to creating a high performance team and more effective working environment.

Training Services We train people in decision-making, so they are better prepared to deal with uncertainty, biases and complex group dynamics. There are two standard courses and a customised option, which adapts to an organisation’s unique needs. The benefits are building knowledge and capability in the organisation, developing resilience and tools that can be applied to any business situation. It adds to the skills toolkit of leaders and managers to become more effective in their roles.

Coaching Services We provide 1:1 coaching for leaders who want to learn about decision-making and how to optimise this essential leadership skill. It is an opportunity to explore your approach to decision-making, and become more aware of your own style and preferences. The benefit is developing an essential skill, making you a more effective leader as well as to instigate improved decision capabilities in your team. It also allows you to discuss complex situations in a confidential environment.

The first wave of Optimal Decisions clients is already benefitting from these tools and techniques based on the latest thinking around Process and Group Dynamics. Using these tools will more reliably enable decisions which are rapid, structured, and confidence-inspiring, and less likely to lead to wasted time and resource.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Optimal Decisions .