Decision-making: Thinking, Seeing and Doing

How do we make the best decisions at a time when collaboration and international research are becoming increasingly central to our sector? Henry Mintzberg, management thinker and professor at McGill University, describes three fundamental approaches to decision-making: Think First, See First and Do First. These models are not only applicable in business, but also highly relevant in the context of journalistic collaboration, from daily editorial meetings to cross-border research projects.

📌 1. Think first: Analysis leads to action

This is the classic decision-making model:

• First, you diagnose the problem
• Then you design possible solutions
• Next, you decide based on analysis
• Finally, you implement the choice

This structured process works well for editorial strategies, budgeting or technology choices. But in complex and human situations, thinking too rationally can lead to missed opportunities.

In collaborative journalism, especially in large-scale cross-border projects, it is essential to make a clear diagnosis in advance:

• What topic are we going to investigate?
• Which partners are joining us?
• What sources are available, and what are the legal risks?

This is the domain of thinking first: clear agreements, analytical frameworks, project plans and ethical considerations. As Mintzberg states: “Thinking first works well when the issue is clear, the data are reliable, the context is structured, and there is time to think rationally.” (Mintzberg Blog – Decision Making)

📌 2. Seeing First: Intuition as Insight

International projects often start with a spark. A meeting at a conference. A shared feeling about an injustice. Recognising a pattern that others do not yet see. That is seeing first:

• A journalist meets a source with international reach
• An editor “feels” that a collaboration will be fruitful
• A topic gains momentum because several media outlets suddenly show interest

According to Mintzberg, this is not a random impulse, but often the result of years of experience and keen observation. Think of the emergence of many collaborative projects, in which intuitive choices led to powerful journalistic revelations.

Sometimes you just know something right away: the decision to hire a new talent, or to do a report on an emerging topic before it goes viral. “Love at first sight. Even some rather formal decisions happen this way, for example, deciding to hire someone two seconds into the interview.” (Mintzberg, Decision Making: It’s not what we think, 2016)

In journalism, this is often how the best stories are born: through intuition, experience, and a well-developed sense of timing.

📌 3. Do First: Action leads to insight

Perhaps the most powerful model for innovation. You start with something small, try it out, learn from it, and adapt it. IKEA discovered its successful self-assembly model when an employee had to remove the legs of a table to fit it in his car. That action led to a fundamental review of their entire logistics strategy. Mintzberg states: “You try something in a limited way to see if it might work… Start small to learn big.”

It is precisely in collaborative settings that the model of doing first proves particularly powerful:

• Share and investigate data together
• Test and adhance a joint visualisation tool all newsrooms can use for their story
• Work empirically on shared deadlines and publication timing

For editorial teams, this model applies to testing new formats, fine-tuning social media strategies or collaborating with AI tools, for example. Small experiments can trigger big changes.

🔎 What does this mean for journalistic decision-making?

Flexible decision-making is crucial in todays newsroom. Don’t just think in terms of rational analysis, but recognise the power of intuition and experimentation. Mintzberg challenges us to vary our decision-making style depending on the context.

When making decisions in joint research projects, these three models are complementary:

• Use thinking first to plan strategically and align expectations.
• Be open to seeing first when recognising opportunities and partnerships.
• Rely on doing first to refine tools, processes and collaborations.

📚 For those who want to explore this topic further, I recommend Mintzberg’s book: Management: It’s not what you think (Mintzberg, Ahlstrand & Lampel, 2010)

Be inspired by these insights. Because perhaps a different way of making decisions… will lead to a different way of collaborating and practising journalism.

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Which way of making decisions do you use most often in your work? Do you think first, see first, or do first?

Happy collaborating!