paralysis by analysis?

If you’ve been wrestling with an issue for a long time it’s likely that you’ll end up suffering from paralysis by analysis. This happens when no action seems possible because there are too many variables to consider, too many possible outcomes to research, or there is too much at stake. For many people who spend their day “putting out fires,” the larger, strategic issues are what keep them awake at night. Quite often, people find themselves unable to make a decision and, unless the issue has an urgent deadline or requires immediate action, the unsolved problem festers.

Despite the countless business books and personal coaches, there is no substitute for intuition. And while a thorough understanding of an issue and the ramifications of any decision are critical, analysis tends to obscure intuition. This is where decision quadrants can be useful. Borrowed from software engineers and popularized in management circles a few years ago, the four-qadrant decision table is an effective way to impose logic onto a complex problem.

As a simple example, one of my favourite decision quadrants is a basic tool used for evaluating employees. While decision quadrants should never replace comprehensive performance reviews, we can to focus on how an employee fits into the company’s corporate culture.

In this sample diagram the quadrant captures skill level and an employee’s ability to work in teams (communication, attitude, etc.). Employees in Quadrant A are easy, they score high on technical skills as well as team skills. These are your stars and you should seriously invest in keeping them inside your organization. In a perfect company everyone would fall into Quadrant A.

People in Quadrant B are also easy since they have innate team skills but simply require further technical skill development. This can be achieved by investing in employee education or mentoring programs.

Employees who fall into Quadrant C are also easy, but for a slighly more uncomfortable reason. They have low team skills and low technical skills. They may be burnt out long-timers who have flown under the radar or they were simply bad hires. If you can’t see immediate improvement, stop wasting valuable cash and human resources on these employees.

It’s the people who fall into Quadrant D who pose the biggest risk to organizations. With high technical skills, these employees are often regarded as experts or gurus. Unfortunately, they are also completely lacking in team skills and are often uncommunicative, disruptive and/or combative. Quite simply, these employees are toxic and, without considerable management, they will poison the rest of your organization. They do not reflect your corporate values and, in severe cases, they may resort to sabbotage in order to make a point. However, because of their technical skills many managers feel that they have no choice but to tolerate these employees, or to find positions that work around their lack of team skills. The answer in these cases is never easy, but the ability to identify the issue will clarify your options and may pave the way towards a creative solution.

This is just one example of a decision quadrant that can help you work through a management problem. There are hundreds of variations, most of which originated over a few drinks on the back of a napkin. If you’re spinning your wheels tackling a sticky issue, you may find this simple technique helpful in guiding you towards an answer.

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