Navigating decision making. The impact of implicit and explicit assumptions
About me
My name is Mauro Bagnato and for over 15 years I have been leading tech organizations.
When I first stepped into leadership, I believed technical expertise was the key to being an effective leader. However, I quickly learned that organizations are living and complex systems and that leading them demands much more than just technical know-how. I believe that curiosity is at the heart of effective leadership. This is what fuels learning and experimentation, both crucial for continuous improvement. This blog aims to explore engineering leadership in all its aspects and to provide insights in a tangible and pragmatic manner. It will also be a space where I will share insights, reflections, and personal takeaways from books, podcasts, and articles that influenced and keep influencing my journey.
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Your decision-making process has one subtle enemy
Implicit assumptions.
We often face situations where the number of variables at play is so high that it is hard to find a way forward.
A practical tactic to get unstuck is to simplify the problem by “locking in” some variables with assumptions.
They are called explicit assumptions because they are clearly expressed and shared.
Assumptions are double-edged swords. They are very powerful but can also be extremely dangerous if not properly handled.
My approach to handling explicit assumptions can be summarized as follows:
- Transparency. Every assumption and, even more importantly, every decision they influence should be well-documented and accessible.
- Risk assessment. Not all assumptions are created equal. They should be stack-ranked based on the impact of the decisions they inform.
- Validation. The goal here is to collect enough data to confirm or revise the assumptions.
However, the problem gets more complicated when we make assumptions without even realizing it.
They are called implicit assumptions.
Here the whole point is to surface them before is too late.
My approach to surfacing implicit assumptions can be summarized as follows:
- Awareness. Acknowledge the risk of implicit assumption and make your team aware of it.
- Create a safe space. Foster an environment (could be a meeting, a slack channel, etc) where people feel comfortable questioning the basis of decisions and challenging assumptions.
- Diversity. Involve different perspectives and viewpoints in the decision-making process to catch blind spots.
- Continuous feedback. Encourage feedback, both during and after the decision-making process to learn from mistakes and become better at spotting implicit assumptions.
What’s your experience with implicit and explicit assumptions?
