Cheryl Strauss Einhorn is the founder and CEO of Decisive, a decision sciences company using her AREA Method decision-making system for individuals, companies, and nonprofits to solve complex problems. Decisive offers digital tools and in-person training, workshops, coaching, and consulting. Ms. Strauss Einhorn also teaches as an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and Cornell Tech. She has won several journalism awards for her investigative stories about international political, business, and economic topics. She’s authored two books on complex problem solving: “Problem Solved,” for personal and professional decisions; and “Investing In Financial Research” about business, financial, and investment decisions. Ms. Strauss Einhorn is writing a new book about different decision-making approaches entitled “How You Decide.”
Complex
Decision-MakingCornell Certificate Program
Overview and Courses
Decision-making can be a challenge. Whether large or small, using a framework to guide your process can provide comfort and confidence.
In this certificate program, you will use the AREA Method to make both personal and professional decisions with conviction. You will focus first on your own strengths and challenges based on your Problem-Solver Profile. You will evaluate cognitive biases and apply remedies, then use this approach to strengthen your ability to work effectively with other decision-making stakeholders.
With your profile in hand, you’ll begin to identify, frame, and break down a problem using the AREA Method. You will leverage a perspective-taking system to control for and counteract bias, use inversion to begin solving a problem, and look at the problem from the perspective of your Absolute Targets. You will then explore strategies for research and interviewing for decision-making. You’ll start by putting your problem into context and identifying sources for interviewing. After you have conducted your interviews, you will complete several exercises to practice evaluating your research and making a decision.
As this program concludes, you will put the AREA Method to work to serve you as an operating system in the world by applying aspects of the method in a variety of situations. You’ll address myths to strengthen your decision-making and look for evidence of AREA at work in the world.
Note: This program includes a copy of Cheryl Strauss Einhorn's e-book, “Problem Solved” (New Jersey: Career Press, 2017). You will receive instructions about how to access the e-book when you join the course. If you prefer to purchase a hard copy of the book, we suggest you do so before the start of the course. The book is available for purchase online or at other retailers.
The courses in this certificate program are required to be completed in the order that they appear.
Course list
Without a doubt, you've already made major life decisions. Some may have turned out well, while others may have left you feeling disappointment, frustration, or other negative emotions. Chances are that complex decision-making is not over for you yet; your personal and professional lives will likely continue to be full of complex decisions. This course will help you gain more confidence in yourself as a problem-solver as you build your decision-making skills.
We'll start by focusing on you: What kind of a decision-maker are you? And what kind do you want to be? You'll explore your decision-making archetype, what that means for how you tend to approach complex problem-solving, and what inherent pitfalls may lie within your default approach. You'll spend time in this course examining your own cognitive biases – don't worry; we all have them, and they actually serve some very important purposes to help us navigate through our busy lives. Being aware of these biases is the first step towards changing them, and in this course you'll discover how to apply some remedies when you notice those biases surfacing. Finally, because no decision is made in isolation, you'll have the opportunity to consider yourself as a decision-maker within the context of the people around you. You'll gain strategies that you can use to strengthen your ability to work with others.
This course will provide you with many examples of decisions, both big and small, that are impacted by Problem-Solver Profiles. It will also give you a framework by which to distinguish between complex and simple problems and decisions, providing you with a better sense of when not to “sweat the small stuff." This course is designed to build your self-awareness and tools for working with others, ultimately resulting in more confidence the next time you are faced with a complex decision.
It can be messy and overwhelming to figure out how to solve complex problems. Where do you start? How do you know where to look for information and evaluate its quality and bias? How can you feel confident that you are making a careful and thoroughly researched decision? Whether you are navigating a career decision or expanding your business, this course will enable you to use the AREA Method decision-making system. AREA, created by Cheryl Strauss Einhorn, is an acronym for Absolute/Relative/Exploration/Exploitation/Analysis. It's a powerful system for making complex decisions with confidence and conviction. You will develop the conceptual awareness and shared nomenclature necessary to apply this innovative approach to your own problem-solving.
Note: Enjoy your digital copy of Cheryl Strauss Einhorn's e-book “Problem Solved” (New Jersey: Career Press, 2017), included with this course. While it is not necessary to read the book to successfully complete this course, this book will provide you with detailed case studies and a wealth of resources to assist your problem-solving and decision skill-building. You will continue to have access to the book as a reference after you have completed this course. If you would like to purchase a hard copy of the book, it is available from The Cornell Store or anywhere you buy books.
This course explores the Relative, Exploration, Exploitation, and Analysis phases of AREA and provides guided processes for applying each phase to a complex decision. Using your work from the Absolute phase, you'll now research sources related to your decision to put it into a broader context. Next, you will conduct interviews in the Exploration phase. In Exploitation, you will confront your assumptions and judgments with evidence. Finally, in the Analysis phase, you will determine what your data can and can't tell you and consider how your decision might go awry or fail so that you may better ensure your decision success.
Note: Enjoy your digital copy of Cheryl Strauss Einhorn's e-book “Problem Solved” (New Jersey: Career Press, 2017), included with this course. While it is not necessary to read the book to successfully complete this course, this book will provide you with detailed case studies and a wealth of resources to assist your problem-solving and decision skill-building. You will continue to have access to the book as a reference after you have completed this course. If you would like to purchase a hard copy of the book, it is available from The Cornell Store or anywhere you buy books.
The following course is required to be completed before taking this course:
- JCB442: Framing and Breaking Down Complex Problems
As someone with experience using the AREA Method, you already know it as a powerful step-by-step system to make smarter, better decisions. In this advanced course, you will continue to develop your skills as you go beyond using AREA to solve thorny problems to using it as an operating system for your daily life. Now that you've mastered the steps of AREA, you'll take a more holistic approach and begin using AREA as an operating system. As with any skill, the more you use AREA, the stronger your ability to move through the world mindfully and with empathy and understanding will become.
In this course, you'll explore the 11 common decision myths that hinder both decision-making outcomes and relationships then see how to apply AREA tools to counter these myths. You'll have the opportunity to apply AREA solutions to problems that may arise because of emotions and bias. Finally, you'll build financial literacy as you apply AREA skills to identify the numbers relevant to a significant financial decision in your personal or professional life.
You will explore ways to implement AREA through all aspects of your life. You will practice using your AREA toolkit and become more comfortable knowing how to use the methodology. From buying a house to selecting a dating app, AREA offers a way to approach larger life goals with confidence and conviction.
The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:
- JCB442: Framing and Breaking Down Complex Problems
- JCB443: Researching and Analyzing Information to Make Your Decision
How It Works
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Faculty Author
Key Course Takeaways
- Understand the range of decision-making archetypes, where you fit, and how you can leverage this knowledge to work more effectively with others
- Use inversion to frame, break down, and start solving your complex problem
- Identify sources of information and strength-test your decision
- Move from using AREA as a decision-making tool to an operating system
Download a Brochure
Not ready to enroll but want to learn more? Download the certificate brochure to review program details.
What You'll Earn
- Complex Decision-Making Certificate from the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management
- 40 Professional Development Hours (4.0 CEUs)
Watch the Video
Who Should Enroll
- Current and aspiring managers
- Senior executives
- Department heads (marketing, strategy, operations)
- Consumers
- Business consultants
- Life coaches
- Analysts and systems thinkers
- Entrepreneurs
- Engineers
- Investors and wealth managers
- Research directors
- Recent college graduates looking for best practices in decision-making
“What I wanted was something that had an exceptional caliber of professionals and professors, and eCornell actually gave me that.”
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Complex Decision-Making
| Select Payment Method | Cost |
|---|---|
| $2,999 | |