Table of Contents

Part 1 Concepts: thinking about values - value-focused thinking and its uses, creating alternatives, identifying decision opportunities, thinking about values; the framework of value-focused thinking - framing a decision situation, objectives, the decision context, guiding strategic thinking and action, comparing alternative-focused and value-focused thinking, ethics and value neutrality. Part 2 Foundations: identifying and structuring objectives - identifying fundamental objectives, how to structure objectives, desirable properties of fundamental objectives, relating objectives hierarchies and objectives networks, incomplete objectives hierarchies and networks, objectives hierarchies for groups; measuring the achievement of objectives - the concept of an attribute, the types of attributes, developing constructed attributes, use of proxy attributes, desirable properties of attributes, selecting attributes, connecting decision situation with attributes; quantifying objectives with a value model - building a value model, multiple-objective and single-objective value models, prioritizing objectives, assessing value models, issues to consider in value assessments. Part 3 Uses: uncovering hidden objectives - insights from attributes, from violations of independence assumptions, from value tradeoffs, from single-attribute objective functions, from multiple value assessments; creating alternatives for a single decisionmaker - counteracting cognitive biases, use of strategic objectives, focus on high-value alternatives, use of evaluated alternatives, generic and coordinated alternatives, process alternatives, removing constraints, utilization of resources, screening to identify alternatives, alternatives for a series of similar decisions; creating alternatives for multiple decisionmakers - pleasing other stakeholders, stakeholder influence on your consequences, clarifying stakeholder values for group decisions, creating alternatives for negotiations; identifying decision opportunities - use of strategic objectives, use of resources, a broader decision context, monitoring achievement, establishing a process, negotiating for your side and the other side, being in the right place at the right time, when you have no idea about what to do; insights for the decisionmaking process - guiding information collection, evaluating alternatives, interconnecting decisions, improving communication, facilitating involvement in multiple-stakeholder decisions, guiding strategic thinking. Part 4 Applications: NASA leadership in space; transporting nuclear waste; research on climate change; air pollution in Los Angeles; design of integrated circuit testers; collaborating on a book; value-focused thinkng at British Columbia Hydro; value-focused thinking for my decisions.

Reviews

["Value-Focused Thinking"] is both an inspired and inspiring book. It is also a rarity among academic and business texts: it is a 'damn good read.' Keeney writes well, arguing his case clearly in the abstract and illustrating it through numerous interesting and pertinent examples.--Simon French "Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis "

"Value-Focused Thinking" clearly demonstrates the problems occurring in commercial and other organizations as a result of restricting decision choice to the available alternatives (alternative-focused thinking), rather than starting by considering what it is intended to achieve (value-focused thinking).

Ý"Value-Focused Thinking"¨ is both an inspired and inspiring book. It is also a rarity among academic and business texts: it is a 'damn good read.' Keeney writes well, arguing his case clearly in the abstract and illustrating it through numerous interesting and pertinent examples. -- Simon French "Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis"

"Value-Focused Thinking clearly demonstrates the problems occurring in commercial and other organizations as a result of restricting decision choice to the available alternatives (alternative-focused thinking), rather than starting by considering what it is intended to achieve (value-focused thinking).