Judgment Call Study Guide (page 2)

Lesson Summary

You can use all the quantitative data you can get, but you still have to distrust it and use your own intelligence and judgment.

Alvin Toffler, American writer and futurist (1928– )

Sometimes you come across a problem for which there is no right or wrong answer. So how do you figure out what to do? In this lesson, you'll learn how to make judgments, or personal decisions, when those kinds of problems present themselves.

Many critical-thinking skills include gathering facts, and then making decisions based on those facts. Although doing so is not always easy, the process from problem to solution is clear cut: identify and understand the situation, learn everything you can about it and any possible solutions available, and then choose the best one. However, sometimes you can't find enough information to make a decision because it doesn't exist, so there is no right answer. At times like that, you have to make a judgment call.

What Is a Judgment Call?

Judgment calls are important decisions made all the time, about things like what stock to buy, when to perform a surgery, and whether a potentially game-winning basketball shot made it through the hoop before the buzzer. But these decisions do have a number of things in common. For instance:

• the stakes are high
• the information you need is incomplete or ambiguous
• knowledgeable people disagree about them
• there are often ethical dilemmas and/or conflicting values involved

How can you make a judgment call with so much uncertainty surrounding the issue? Remember that these types of decisions, however difficult, are made all the time. Each one has an outcome that is both subjective and debatable. That is, judgment calls are not made purely on facts because the facts are not completely available. They are debatable because another person, who knows as much as you do about the decision and the situation surrounding it, could come up with a strong argument as to why your decision might be wrong (or another option is right). Accepting the nature of judgment calls before you make then can help take some of the stress out of the decision-making process.

Preparing to Make a Judgment Call

If you can't gather enough information to make a decision, is there any way to prepare for making a judgment call? The answer is yes. Some facts may be unclear, so it's debatable which to include and which to exclude, but arming yourself with as much information as possible is an important step in preparing to make a judgment call.

Example

This needs a real-life judgment call. Imagine you're on the committee. What would you do?

The first step is to gather information, identify all available options, and try to determine on what you need to base your decision. Do most people who visit the food pantry have an actual need? If the food pantry closed, where would those in need turn for assistance? How many people collect food and sell it? Where are they from? This sets up a criteria so you know what types of information to look for.

The second step is to seek out other people as both sources of information, and as feedback on your decision making process. Choose people who are not only knowledgeable but who will be able to provide you with objective commentary, including criticism. Discussion with others, whether one-on-one or in a group, can be an invaluable step in the process. You might discover better or more sources of data, find out about further options, or realize that you forgot an important aspect of the decision.

The third step is to play "what if ?" Explore each option as a solution, asking yourself (and others, if appropriate) how would this option would work as a solution? Who would benefit? Who would be hurt, annoyed, or wronged? What is the best-case scenario and what is the worst for your option? Test each possibility and weigh its possible benefits and detriments. How do they measure up to the criteria you established in step one?

Tip

To determine how high the stakes are, organizations consider costs, productivity, meeting contract obligations, and profit. People consider personal and financial reward, career growth, personal satisfaction, and personal values.

Examine the Consequences

Remember that judgment calls are subjective and debatable. Let's go back to the example of the food pantry. Once you have impartially looked at the situation and the facts surrounding it, the judgment call as to whether to limit those who can visit it, remain open as usual, or close the pantry down comes down to an opinion. Half of the committee believes they are providing a valuable service to the community and should continue to do so even though some people are taking advantage of them. Others believe they can't prevent visitors from selling the food they are giving away, so they should close. You could probably form a strong argument for either case, but what if you had to make a choice?

One way to help make such as decision is to focus on the consequences. Will anyone be helped or harmed by the decision? Weigh the value and term of the benefit or detriment—is it a convenience or inconvenience, or does it result in a long-term effect? If all options will result in some negative action or result, which is least negative? Putting your answers into a graphic organizer, such as a chart, can help you to weigh your options.

For example, Beth, an employee of a large accounting firm, notices that her company is falsifying the financial records of a client, a multinational corporation. Should she report the action and risk losing her job, or say nothing and allow criminal behavior to continue? This may seem like a black-and-white, right-or-wrong situation, but in essence it's a moral dilemma. Beth supports her family, including an ailing grandmother, and needs the job. Let's explore her options on a chart.

By exploring her options, she understands that whistle-blowing could result in possible short-term negative effects for herself (unemployment). Of course, the other consequence is that the wrongdoing would stop and the criminals who falsified the records would probably be punished. In effect, she might save shareholders of the client's company millions of dollars.

But if she says nothing, her job will be secure, and there is a risk that someone outside the company will discover the illegal activity. If that happens, there could be major consequences not just for the person who falsified the records but for the entire company. Beth needs to carefully weigh the options in terms of possible consequences before she makes the judgment call.

In Short

Judgment calls can be difficult. In a situation where the stakes are high, and even the experts disagree, you may not want to make a choice that is, at best, subjective and debatable. But there are many circumstances in which you will have to do just that. You will need to consider any facts you can gather, the advice of others, your intuition, and even your values. Take your time with judgment calls, and with practice, you will become more confident in making them.

Skill Building Until Next Time

• Judges frequently make judgment calls, even though they rely on evidence and prior decisions. Check a newspaper for a recent, complicated case, and then find out more about it online. Look at the evidence presented by both sides. On what do you think the judge based his or her decision? Would you have made the same decision?
• Do you know anyone who has downloaded music from the Internet without permission? Was the decision a judgment call? If so, how did the person come to the decision?

Exercises for this concept can be found at Judgement Call Practice Exercises.