Theft at the Public Till
judgments on the run, before there is the full evidence on which to base a sound decision; reaching conclusions from readily available information, with only minimal search for more; consistently applying the same oppor- tunistic search and conclusive style to all aspects of behavior. In the-simplest building design situation, -there is a architect, an object to be designed, and an environment in which that object is to be used. The architect makes a representation of the object a drawing, model, or sym- bolic description-which will later be embodied in materials and put out into the larger environment. Such a representation is made under conditions of complexity and uncertainty. It is made within a virtual world (the architect's sketchpad or computer screen, for example) that stands for the real world in which the object will function, and within which the architect can make and test moves cheaply, at his own pace, and at relatively low risk. The confusion and complexity surrounding actual decision making is often far greater than we like to admit. Many things are happening at once; practices, forms, and technologies are changing and poorly under- stood; preferences, identities, rules, and perceptions are indeterminate and changing; problems, solutions, opportunities, ideas, situations, people, and outcomes are mixed together in ways that make their interpretation uncer- tain and their connections unclear; decisions at one time and place appear to have only a loose tie to decisions at others; solutions seem to have only modest connection to problems; policies are not implemented; decision makers seem to wander in and out of decision arenas and seem to say one thing while doing another. Decision histories are often difficult to describe. When (and even whether) a decision was made, who made it, with what in- tentions, and with what consequences are all often obscure. Many decisions are made by default, and decision processes often exercise problems without solving them. Decisions are made outside of an explicit decision process, and decision processes often fail to make decisions. The attention of partic- ipants is difficult to predict simply from the properties of the choice being considered. Participants fight for the right to participate, then don't exercise it. Decision makers ignore information they have, ask for more, then ignore the new information. Organizations buffer the process of decision making
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