Naturalistic Decision Making

This article details an important new addition to decision-making theory and practice, the model known as "naturalistic decision making." Naturalistic decision making (NDM) is the study of real people making crisis decisions. Its focus is on the use and usefulness of experience in making complex decisions in uncertain and constantly shifting environments. Naturalistic decision making emphasizes the highly rated consequences, time pressures, lack of information, and incomplete goals that characterize most political, administrative, and public policy environments.[1] It is deeply rooted in classical works in decision theory, political science, and public administration, especially in works done by Charles Lindblom and Herbert Simon.[2,3] Its most prominent proponent today is the researcher Gary Klein, who reformulates NDM into his own Recognition-Primed Decision Model.[4] Naturalistic decision making is said to be the representation of a true paradigm shift in decision theory away from the scientific/classical/rational approach.