Argument mapping in strategic planning « Tim van Gelder. Q: Can argument mapping be used in strategic planning? A: Of course! – because strategic planning involves complex arguments, and argument mapping can help whenever you have to deal with complex arguments. However to move beyond that sort of trite proclamation, it is useful to have concrete examples of how argument mapping can enhance a strategic planning process. Austhink recently providing mapping expertise for a major Australian organisation developing its strategic outlook for a nominated date of 2030. In order to do detailed planning, leading to major decisions such as investing many billions of dollars in human resources and equipment, it had to first develop a conception of what its “operating environment” would be in 2030 and how the organisation would be able to achieve competitive advantage in that environment. Parenthetically, it is worth emphasizing how difficult this task is. Developing good-quality argument maps in complex, murky territory is a challenging business.
> e-democracy online book. This online publication is the result of research I have mainly done during the years 2003-2006. The ideas are based on my 303-page long German doctor thesis (published February 2007; “Digitalisierung demokratischer Prozesse. Gefahren und Chancen der Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologie in der demokratischen Willensbildung der Informationsgesellschaft“; Beiträge zur Politischen Wissenschaft, Band 144, Duncker & Humbolt Berlin, Politikwissenschaften). I sporadically added to the text, but the ongoing evolution of the topic would require a non-stop real-time effort. The main literature remains from pre-2006. I decided to publish the text online to facilitate access and its diffusion.
The fact that this text is openly accessible on the Internet does not mean it has not been peer-reviewd. Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION, DEFINITIONS AND MODELING 11. Deliberation « Eight to Late. Wikipedia defines decision analysis as the discipline comprising the philosophy, theory, methodology, and professional practice necessary to address important decisions in a formal manner.
Standard decision-making techniques generally involve the following steps: Identify available options.Develop criteria for rating options.Rate options according to criteria developed.Select the top-ranked option. This sounds great in theory, but as Tim van Gelder points out in an article entitled the The Wise Delinquency of Decision Makers, formal methods of decision analysis are not used as often as textbooks and decision-theorists would have us believe. This, he argues, isn’t due to ignorance: even those trained in such methods often do not use them for decisions that really matter. To begin with, formal methods aren’t suited to many decision-making problems encountered in the real world. Real-world options often cannot be quantified or rated in a meaningful way. However, as Van Gelder points out,
Argumentation theory. Debates. My Debategraph. Visual Learning, Concept Mapping and Visual Deliberation.