Pre-Conference Agenda & Speakers

April 15, 2024

The information presented in this publication, including but not limited to the 2024 SDP Annual Conference agenda, is subject to change without prior notice. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the details provided, unforeseen circumstances, scheduling adjustments, or other factors beyond our control may impact the final agenda.

Attendees are advised to regularly check the official conference website, communication channels, and announcements for the most up-to-date information. SDP reserves the right to modify, add, or remove sessions, speakers, or any other aspects of the conference program as deemed necessary.

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April 15, 2024 8am - April 15, 2024 12pm

Workshop Abstract:

Refine your decision framing skills and become strong decision framers. Understand different framing workflows for a variety of decisions and learn how to apply the appropriate framing steps/tools to enable informed decisions for EACH type of decision problem. Learn to facilitate the framing workflows to enable productive dialogue and thoughtful and informed decision frames. This interactive class will be divided into three framing teams. Each will be framing the same interesting opening a new business strategy, which is an industry agnostic case using different framing workflow: Standard Decision Framing, De-risking Decision Framing and Scenario Thinking Decision Framing. Facilitation skills to ensure efficient framing of the workflows and dialogue with decision makers will tighten the skill set, along with Decision Frameworks Decision Quality Toolbox as very useful reference manual post the course.

This workshop is intended for:

  • New/Beginner Decision Practitioners
  • Intermediate Decision Practitioners
  • Experienced Decision Practitioners

Instructors:

Ellen Coopersmith, President (Decision Frameworks)

Ray Spence, Sr. Consultant (Decision Frameworks)

Ashley Corso, Consultant (Decision Frameworks)

April 15, 2024 8am - April 15, 2024 12pm

Workshop Abstract:      

Dive deep into the fascinating world of biases and discover how they shape our decisions, often without us even realizing it. Whether you're just starting your journey into understanding biases or looking to refine your expertise, this workshop is for you.

A maze of uncertainty, novelty or complexity lie at the heart of many decisions. While Decision Analysis (DA) provides us with powerful tools to navigate this maze, it's essential to ensure our decisions aren't clouded by hidden biases – bias, rather than uncertainty itself, is a major cause of poor decisions, and thus undesirable outcomes. Subject matter expertise provides no protection from these biases and can even amplify them!

In this engaging workshop, we'll not only delve into the science behind biases but also embrace the lighter side, exploring the amusing "quirks" of human “reasoning”. Through interactive demonstrations and discussions, you'll gain insights into:

  • The intricate relationship between decision-making, judgment, and our brain's inner workings.
  • The pitfalls of using intuition, especially in uncertain, novel or complex situations.
  • The value-destroying impact of biases on decision outcomes (regardless of how “value” is measured)
  • Effective strategies to recognize and counteract biases.
  • A deep dive into the most prevalent and impactful biases.
  • Visual illusions as a captivating metaphor to understand and remember bias concepts.

This workshop is intended for:

  • New/Beginner Decision Practitioners
  • Intermediate Decision Practitioners
  • Experience Decision Practitioners

Instructors:

Reidar Bratvold (University of Stavanger)

Steve Begg (The University of Adelaide)

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April 15, 2024 1pm - April 15, 2024 5pm

Workshop Abstract:      

In this workshop we will cover the foundations of decision analysis. This includes the fundamental concepts of risk preference and the personalistic view of probability, which set decision analysis apart from other approaches to decision making.

We explore the meaning of probability – and the fact probability does not exist. We will discuss how to capture risk preference and why we often assume risk neutrality (expected value) in practice – it is not because we are making many decisions. Finally, we learn how to place a value on information – reducing uncertainty does not add value.

This workshop is intended for:

  • New/Beginner Decision Practitioners
  • Intermediate Decision Practitioners

Instructor:

J. Erick Bickel (The University of Texas at Austin)

April 15, 2024 1pm - April 15, 2024 5pm

Workshop Abstract:      

Join leading complexity thinker Dave Snowden to explore a complexity-informed approach to navigating organisational strategy and change, understanding the evolutionary potential of the present in foresight. Estuarine Mapping is the latest framework from the creator of the Cynefin framework and is gaining traction worldwide in industry and government as a tool to approach decision-making, strategy, conflict, direction-setting and a host of other needs in complex contexts. In this hands-on, interactive workshop, you will learn methods to assess the constraints at play, to manage the energy gradients to lower the cost of change, whilst allowing for emergence along the way. Explore how the Estuarine framework links into radical new means of distributed decision-making at the intersections of technology and human sense-making, to find novel possibilities along the path. This workshop also covers: what we can change and manage in a complex environment, what we do when simple goals don’t work, how to plan for uncertainty, how to combine grand vision with day-to-day tactics

This workshop is intended for:

  • Intermediate Decision Practitioners
  • Experienced Decision Practitioners

Instructor:

Dave Snowden, CTO & Founder (Cynefin Co)

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April 15, 2024 5pm

Join us for a Grand Welcome! Kick off the 2024 SDP Annual Conference with our exclusive Welcome Reception on April 15th at the Hilton Arlington Hotel, starting at 5:00 PM. Immerse yourself in an evening of networking and camaraderie as we set the stage for a conference filled with insights and opportunities.

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