Decision making – a skill for lifeDecision-making is usually understood as the procedure of choosing a variant or an alternative from several possibilities so that the selection is the one that best fits the goals. In this process, we encounter a wealth of human values, interests, abilities, emotions and passions. It is not surprising that we often make decisions without knowing how. Yet it is people who assess, evaluate and make decisions. This contribution is based on knowledge of decision-making that forms the common denominator for making good decisions. This means knowledge of decision-making problems that typically includes knowledge of the goals, variants, assessment criteria and our preferences. This should be complemented with knowledge of organisational methods and techniques and the execution of the decision-making process. In particular, we are interested in the place and role of contemporary ICT and its added value in decision-making. The saying “Two heads are better than one” means we should make decisions in groups. Group decision-making can also be understood as a learning process. We learn from each other, and collect and use data in order to acquire knowledge for decision-making. Naturally, different interests emerge, which are often contradictory. Therefore, we will particularly focus on decision-making methods and techniques when coordinating different interests. We will find answers to the question of how to participate in a decision-making group and use ICT to make better decisions.

 

Vladislav Rajkovič, PhD, is a professor emeritus of information systems and had of Laboratory for Decision Processes and Knowledge-based Systams at the Faculty of Organisational Sciences, University of Maribor, Slovenia. He also works with the Department of Intelligent Systems at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana. His research interests focus on information systems and artificial intelligence methods for supporting decision and educational processes. For several years he has been involved in informatisation of Slovenian schools.

 

Illustrations from keynotes:

Illustrator: Igor Ribič