2. Kirk vs. Spock: Making 25th Century Decisions
Dr. Marc Hurwitz, Chief Insight Officer
Samantha Hurwitz, Chief Encouragement Officer
FliPskills & FliP University

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4. Introductions My name is [ James T. Kirk ].
I work for [ Starfleet as a captain ].
In decision-making, it bugs me when [ my crew hold back their real opinion! ].

6. Who would you entrust with this life and death decision?
Kirk (emotional; instinctual; outside-the-box)
Spock (rational; process-based; logical)

7. One of your staff says, “I’ve just
made a decision!” Who would you
rather they made the decision like?
Kirk (emotional; instinctual; outside-the-box)
Spock (rational; process-based; logical)

8. You say to your boss, “I’ve just
made a decision!” Who would they
rather you made the decision like?
Kirk (emotional; instinctual; outside-the-box)
Spock (rational; process-based; logical)

9. Who would your customers rather
you made a decision like?
Kirk (emotional; instinctual; outside-the-box)
Spock (rational; process-based; logical)

10. What type of decision making does
your discipline train for?
Kirk (emotional; instinctual; outside-the-box)
Spock (rational; process-based; logical)

11. What type of decision making does
your organization need more of to
be successful in the future?
Kirk (emotional; instinctual; outside-the-box)
Spock (rational; process-based; logical)

12. Scenario 1 – Life and death decision?
Scenario 2 – Your preference for staff?
Scenario 3 – Your boss’s preference for you?
Scenario 4 – Customer preference?
Scenario 5 – Discipline training?
Scenario 6 – Your organization’s future?

13. Activate the visual system in your brain
Gain new perspectives
Activate the visual system in your brain

14. Mind Map

15. SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
Best engineering crew in Star Fleet
Kirk is a great negotiator
Crew has faced many dangerous situations
Top science officer in galaxy
Ship is faster than theirs
Deflector shields are down
Only 10% of power left
Damage already taken to ship; structurally weak
Have a limited ability to stop the attacks with conventional weapons
Opportunities
Threats
Enemy doesn’t know how badly damaged the ship is
We may have something they want
There is a larger star fleet that we can contact
Klingons care most about personal glory and success
More of them than of us
They appear to have sustained a lot less damage
Klingons care less about loss of life, crew, or ships
There is a long-standing feud between Star Fleet and the Klingons

16. KnoWonder Know Wonder From Think Better by Tim Hurson
Kirk is a great negotiator
Power is at 10% of normal
Weapon systems are down
There are more of them than of us
They don’t know all the capabilities of the Starship Enterprise
Klingon society is very warlike
Klingons have an overabundance of pride and self-confidence
There is deep animosity between Klingons and the Federation of Planets (the side that Kirk and Spock are on)
Spock is a fantastic science officer and Scotty the best engineer in the fleet
No Klingon will back down from a fight
Their ships are slower than the Enterprise
They can’t know how badly damaged the ship is
It’s not clear why they are attacking us
What do they want from us?
If more Star Fleet ships arrived, what would the Klingons do?
Would they continue to attack if it resulted in mutual destruction?
Is there something they would rather have than the destruction of the Enterprise?
What would be so important to them that they would stop attacking and do that other thing?
Are the Klingon ships under one central command?
Do we know anyone aboard the other ships?
What are the Klingons most concerned about?
If we weren’t here, why would they be here?

17. Activate your unconscious

19. “Want better decisions? Feed it (your brain), and leave it!”

20. Mind your body

21. Feelings count

22. Feelings count
Safe at home
Risky business

23. Brave your biases

24. Functional specialty Overly narrow perspective
Rely on personal expertise only

25. Confirmation bias Only seeks supporting dataNo No No No No No
Yes No No
Yes No No No
Yes No
Yes No No No No No No
Yes No No No No No No No No No No No No No
Minimizes conflicting data

26. So we’re all in agreement!
False consensus
Overestimates agreement of others
So we’re all in agreement!

27. Bias blind spot
Don’t notice and downplay our own biases

28. Original
Patient Copy

29. What to do about biases Use structured tools Seek diverse perspectives
Highlight downsides and upsides

30. Mind your brain

31. Mind your brain

32. System 1
Fast
Automatic
Effortless =

33. System 2
Slow
Deliberate
Effortful
27 x 39=

34. Why we avoid System 2 thinking
It takes a lot of energy
It is slow
It stops us doing other things
It takes skill and expertise

35. Do I have the energy for this? Do I have the time for this now?
What else might be more important?
Do I have the expertise to make this decision?

36. Activate your unconscious
Gain new perspectives
Activate your unconscious
Mind your body
Feelings
count
Brave your biases
Mind your brain

37. Collaborative decision making
“May we together become greater than the sum of both of us.”
First Officer Spock

38. “Anyone can make a decision
“Anyone can make a decision. It takes excellent leadership to create the right decision-making environment.”

39. Leadership role: Decision framing
Create an environment and process that optimizes collaboration and decision quality.

40. Followership role: Decision advocating
Add value at every stage of decision-making, especially when it’s not your decision to make.

41. Closing circle What’s your biggest takeaway from today?
What questions do you have?

42. Live long and
decide well!

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