Decision services unit

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About Us

The ELSE Decision Service Unit facilitates the dissemination and application of LSE expertise in decision science. In close co-operation with the LSE Decision Capability Unit of the OR group, we transfer latest research results in the area of decision science into cutting-edge knowledge for practitioners. Our executive education programmes enhance decision capability within organisations to facilitate effective decision-making. With our professional services, we engage our clients’ key players to resolve complex strategic issues and create commitment to a joint way forward.

Decision Capability

Making decisions in organisations is more demanding than ever. Information overload, increased communication speed and ubiquitous media reporting have increased the pressure on decision makers in business and politics. Get it wrong and the consequences can be grave - resulting in decisions made in an ad-hoc manner, based on unstructured analysis or taken at the wrong time simply to fit administrative deadlines.

One reason for these deficits in effective decision making is the lack of decision capability. By decision capability we mean the potential aptitude of individuals, groups and organisations to take decisions effectively. The focus of the ELSE Decision Service Unit is to transfer and apply LSE expertise on how that aptitude can be developed and realised through executive workshops and consultancy services.

Decision challenges in organisations may include:

• how to make effective decisions without knowing the consequences of decisions in advance

• how to trade-off conflicting objectives

• how to manage silo-thinking of individual departments

• how allocate scarce resources efficiently

• how to align multiple stakeholders and groups to a joint way forward

Decisions in the public sector which include these challenges include the selection of sites for nuclear waste management or aiding public sector organisations with tender evaluation and procurement decisions. In the private sector, R&D portfolio optimisation, selecting strategic options or marketing budgeting are typical examples.

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