Situation

A person is discussing a persistent problem with a potential adviser. As the interaction continues, the adviser offers a series of apparently appropriate suggestions each of which are rejected as less than satisfactory. The typical response starts with, 'Yes, but ......' followed by the reason that course of action is considered unsuitable. While this may become very frustrating to the adviser, extreme patience is required on his part, for it is counter-productive and threatening to have a confrontation on this issue: The problem is already difficult enough without the person having to delicately manage the present interaction. The ‘Yes but’ response is most usefully treated as an indication that neither the person nor the adviser have as yet uncovered the real reasons for the existing decision paralysis, and that it may require insight at a level deeper than the one at which the problem situation has hitherto been explored.

An Explanation

From the decision analysis perspective, the process is bogged down in the search for suitable courses of action. This may be an indication that too little attention has been paid to the preliminary stages of the process:

1. Understanding the situation comprehensively.
   


2. Clarifying the person’s values, purpose, aims and objectives, and the criteria which any alternative must satisfy, and the development of an order of priorities within the objectives and criteria.

Most decision-making situations are notorious for under-estimating the time and attention required by these two stages. They are more important than all the stages that follow. There is often too much urgency to 'define a problem'.

The second difficulty stems from the fact that in a complex situation it is very difficult to keep all relevant aspects of the picture in perspective at the same time. Whenever the person indicates a desire for some feedback, he might believe that the whole picture has been revealed, only to find that more emerges as a result of being challenged with a suggestion to consider some particular course of action. This generally indicates that:

• More methodical recording of the situation is needed so that both the adviser and especially the person seeking useful input develop and retain a relevant comprehensive view.
  


• More time needs to be spent at the second stage because 'problem' situations invariably exist only in relation to values, objectives etc.
  

Other Possibilities

A number of possibilities may emerge if, despite this process, the 'yes, but...' cycle continues:

• The person is in a 'multiple (not just double) bind'. This is like the 'check-mate' situation in chess. Neither he nor anyone else can (yet) find a viable way out.
  


• The person is unable or unwilling to take certain kinds of risks. This may be due to a lack of confidence that they can handle the outcome.
  


• The person is unwilling to pay the 'minimum necessary price' of solving their problem. There may be an extensive case of 'system induced dependency' with little or no 'room to manoeuvre'.
  


• The person (subconsciously) needs the problem situation and is yet unwilling to part with it. He may have an 'ulterior motive' such as a need to have something about which to interact with the counsellor or others who show an interest.
  


• The best course of action may be the 'least unattractive'. Choosing it and implementing it may require more courage than the person has.
  


• The search has to be shifted to a higher or deeper plane, such as character, maturity or spiritual development.
  


• The situation lies beyond the adviser's models or paradigm, or his experience, sensitivity or expertise.
  


• Other reasons.

A Warning

Lack of time and client funds may be a very real constraint in the counselling setting. This puts considerable pressure on early definition, rapid visible progress, and measurable results. However, the realities of difficult and elusive problem situations are such that they do not respect our haste. To the extent that the necessary preliminary stages are neglected, the risk of failing to achieve a satisfactory outcome will be greatly increased.

Decision Paralysis

“The present situation is unsatisfactory, but every move could potentially make it worse.” We don’t know what to do!

It is relatively easy to make a decision on a single criterion in an environment of certainty. If we can accurately anticipate the outcomes of a range of options, then all we have to do is choose the one that optimises that criterion. This represents the simplest end of the decision-making continuum. From here on it gets more difficult and at the other extreme it can become completely impossible. There can be a variety of reasons why a person might find it impossible to make a decision. Some of them are listed below followed by a few strategies for handling them:

• We really have to wait until the situation clarifies itself. Something else has to happen, or someone else has to act, before we can choose. [Strategies: Vigilant observation, patience; suspending the objective and taking the initiative in another direction]
  


• Not knowing what can be done. [Strategies: Discuss with someone who has good imagination, understands the system or may have faced similar situations]
  


• The possible outcomes or the cause-effect relationships are unknown. [Strategies: Learning; seeking advice; taking a conscious gamble]
  


• There are too many criteria. [Strategies: Prioritising; eliminating unfounded superstitions; identifying and questioning the implicit assumptions]
  


• There is excessive sensitivity to risk. [Strategies: Controlling fear; collecting support]
  
  
• The complexity of the situation is beyond the capacity of the decision-maker. [Strategies: Describing it progressively on a large sheet of paper; telling someone who is a good listener]

Conclusion

Some situations are indeed so complex that no simple evident solution is readily forthcoming, at least at the level at which the problem is being analysed. This calls for patient persistence at greater depth with lateral thinking on part of both the person seeking constructive input and the adviser.

Even if we cannot make a decision, the situation will always evolve or stabilise without any action on our part. The question is whether it might also get worse and whether we could make a positive difference through our own initiative.

"Viewpoints"
©Carl Jacob

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