The weaknesses and risks of intuition are obvious. Since intuition works in every decision, whether we perceive it or not, we should not ignore it. Integrated into DecisionMaking tools, intuition becomes a conscious decision: guaranteed, fast and precise.
The natural intuition is the process result of the emotion system, which emerges quickly, effortlessly and unsolicited from the inseparability of emotions, intuition and cognition, the KiE trilogy (see article 260 in the series KiE-DecisionMaking-Forms). The natural intuition can be clearly recognized by two criteria: the clearly noticeable movement impulse (Fig.1: 4), also called gut feeling, and the speed (Fig.1: 5) of approximately 350 milliseconds (Libet 1983).
Natural intuition is severely limited by characteristics that make it difficult to apply:
- little differentiation with “No” and “Yes”: the movement impulse (No-go or Go) is cognitively interpreted as “No” or “Yes” (Fig.1: 1)
- it is lost in the dominance of cognitive constructs such as explanations, justifications and justifications (Fig.1: 2)
- it cannot be given reasons: the logic according to which intuition is formed is not accessible to the conscious mind (Fig.1: 3)
How often was the valuable objection “no, I don’t believe in the success of the project, but I can’t (yet) say why” rejected in order to serve in retrospect as justification “I knew it after all” and as an excuse for failure.
The limitations have led to a polarizing discussion about the quality, significance and applicability of natural intuition. However, the limitations can be deliberately bypassed.
The KiE scale solves the limitations
The KiE scale provides a framework for natural intuition, making it a superior form of decision-making in many respects: guaranteed, fast, precise and highly distinctive (see article 224 in the KiE-DecisionMaking-Tools series). The KiE scale serves as an external and internal stimulus with the leading question (Fig.:2 A) and a normative focus with the KiE scale type (Fig.2: B) and the areas of meaning (Fig.: C).
The KiE scale also serves as a guideline for the intuitive decision (Fig.3: 2), which is expressed purely as a KiE number. Human intuition reacts with a natural impulse to the KiE scale because it is itself oriented towards the inseparability of emotions, intuition and cognition. A movement system that serves survival must decide. The KiE scale therefore has no middle ground and always forces a decision. The asymmetry reflects the loss aversion and allows the natural impulse of movement that would otherwise be blocked between the emotional and cognitive systems.
With the KiE scale, natural intuition becomes KiE intuition
The natural intuition becomes the KiE intuition when it is consciously requested with the KiE scale. The guiding question (Fig.2 A and fig.3 A) acts as an external stimulus when asked and as an internal stimulus in the emotive-cognitive cycle.
The 3 parts of the KiE scale (Fig. 2), especially the leading question, have a specific internal structure that triggers the movement impulse. The formulation of the key question (Fig.3 A) “How far . . .” extends the polar response (“No-go” and “Go”) to the KiE numbers from 1 to 10 (Fig.3 B). In conjunction with the ranges of meaning (Fig.3: C), the natural intuition reacts and can easily be mapped on the KiE scale. In order for this to succeed and for the KiE intuition to be clearly distinguishable, the process must be interrupted after the impulse (Fig.3: Stop).
How it then appears is manifold. Many people actually see a number, some in the colours (red, blue and green). Often the position of the KiE number (ranging from 1 to 10) on the KiE scale is felt or known with certainty and some people guess it. Some do not get an inner visual representation, but determine it by the position of the KiE number on the KiE scale. An architect could only experience the KiE intuition by running his finger along the self-made KiE scale. However, the felt position of the “click” on the KiE number was precise and reliable.
The KiE intuition can be recognized as a conscious decision (Fig. 3: 5) on the KiE scale.
The benefit: a guaranteed, fast and precise decision
With the KiE scale as a stimulus as well as a framework for the representation of results, the intuitive decision becomes a KiE intuition and is given features that make it superior to other forms of decision making:
- guaranteed – what all decision-makers, teams and entrepreneurs dream of (Fig.4: 3) The emotion system always reacts (Libet 1983, Kornhuber/Deecke 1964, Damásio 1994, LeDoux 1996, Deecke 2018, de Gelder 2015 and 2020)
- fast – each decision maker receives an intuitive decision after just under half a second (approx. 350 milliseconds) (Fig.4: 4). The KiE intuition is faster than any form of conscious decision (Libet 1983)
- precise – with the KiE scale the decision maker receives a differentiated decision (Fig.4: 1). The surveys and experiences in workshops, projects and coaching with 4,000 participants confirm this experience (Graf 2018)
- discriminating – the intuitive decision can be distinguished from all other human decision forms by speed (Libet 1983, Haggard/Eimer 1999, Haynes 2008, Schmidt 2018) (Fig.4: 4).
- communicable – the KiE scale is fast and clear and can be discussed as well as automatically documented and used for DecisionMaking processes (Fig.4: 2).
The weaknesses of the natural intuition are largely solved with the KiE intuition and partially transformed into strengths. Through this procedure it can be further decoded:
- the slight differentiation is transformed into a clearly distinguishable evaluation and decision using the KiE scale (Fig.4: 1).
- the natural intuition veiled in explanations, justifications and justifications is given a clearly communicable expression in a single KiE number with guiding question and areas of meaning (Fig.2: 1 and 2).
- the logic of the emotions can be decoded by means of the respective emotion in the movement impulse as well as the accompanying feelings of emotion. This requires knowledge of the KiE emotion theory (Fig.1: 3).
The KiE intuition frees intuition from its natural fetters and, as a conscious decision (Fig.4: 5), becomes an important decision making tool.
The KiE intuition and the gut feeling
The discussion about gut feeling (Gigerenzer 2015) has become respectable and is accepted in individual, economic, political and social discussions. However, caution should be exercised with regard to the unreflective perception of gut feelings. If you perceive a feeling, you are already beyond intuition, probably you have already gone through emotive-cognitive cycles.
The KiE intuition appears at low emotional arousal without feeling (fig.5: emotional arousal 1-3), regardless of whether the feeling is pleasant or unpleasant. The feeling as an accompanying effect becomes stronger with emotional arousal (fig.5: emotional arousal 4-5) and the KiE intuition is useless above an emotional arousal of (5) (fig.5: emotional arousal 6-10), because the logic of the emotions dominates (fig.5).
The KiE intuition is only to be used up to moderate emotional arousal, even though it is more powerful at high arousal. However, it then carries too high a risk and should be regulated first. If the KiE intuition is used in this way, the neuronal-emotional structures are formed by the emotive-cognitive cycles.
New dimension of cooperation
The KiE intuition opens a new form of cooperation. The expert knowledge of everyone can be consciously called up in a flash. With the KiE-Intuition, a first individual decision can always be consciously called up in a few milliseconds. In the same way, the KiE-Intuition shows the team a first view of projects, quality and jointly supported decisions. Above all, the KiE-Intuition together with the KiE-Scale serves as a basic building block for DecisionMaking processes, which enhances all agile ceremonies, traditional meetings and interactions and accelerates them by a factor of 2 to 4.
Integration into DecisionMaking processes
The KiE intuition takes on special significance in Agile-Way-of-Working and for traditional leadership, when teams work together openly, focused and with 100% participation at eye level. In conjunction with the DecisionMaking processes in which KiE intuition is integrated, the potential of agile methods is fully utilized by promoting the speed, quality and collaboration of agile events and artifacts in equal measure so that people have the chance to do well.
KiE intuition and KiE scale form the basis of the KiE tools. The application of DecisionMaking with integrated and accepted KiE-Intuition develops a decision-making culture of appreciation, trust and eye level.
The natural intuition works automatically in every decision and the KiE intuition can be consciously called up. With these two characteristics, a design for an individual decision strategy can be created, in which both are included and good decisions can be made with confidence.
What applies to the natural intuition applies all the more to the KiE intuition: everyone has it and everyone can make conscious use of it. It takes only a few hours to learn it and an ever finer differentiation occurs automatically when using the KiE intuition.
However, the perception can be trained for a fine differentiation. Above all, the self-understanding for conscious use of intuition can be learned and thus the integration into practice-proven DecisionMaking tools. The intuitive decision should become the tool of all decision makers, integrated in practical DecisionMaking tools.
DecisionMaking Processes
The inseparability of emotions, intuition and cognition, the KiE trilogy, served as a design guideline for practice-oriented DecisionMaking Processes (Graf 208), which allow individuals as well as teams to make good decisions safely and promptly. The decision culture (Fig.6) as well as the standardizing tools are refined and consolidated in a cyclic process with individuals and in teams.
More about the series of KiE-DecisionMaking Tools
Further articles about the different human decision forms can be found after the source below under tags „Article series KiE-DecisionMaking Tools”.
More about the series Artificial Intelligence
More articles about artificial intelligence and how it can be extended with KiE can be found after the sources below at tag “Artificial Intelligence“.
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April 2020, Richard Graf, Elsa Graf
„Natural intuition has too many risks. With the KiE scale, it becomes a conscious decision.” Richard Graf
Sources
Graf, Richard: Die neue Entscheidungskultur: mit gemeinsam getragenen Entscheidungen zum Erfolg. Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH Co KG, 2018
Benjamin Libet, Brain (1983), 106,623-642 TIME OF CONSCIOUS INTENTION TO ACT IN RELATION TO ONSET OF CEREBRAL ACTIVITY (READINESS-POTENTIAL) THE UNCONSCIOUS INITIATION OF A FREELY VOLUNTARY ACT
Kornhuber, Hans Helmut; Deecke, Lüder (1964): Hirnpotentialänderungen beim Menschen vor und nach Willkürbewegungen, dargestellt mit Magnetbandspeicherung und Rückwärtsanalyse. In: Pflügers Arch. 281, 1964, S. 52
Damásio, Antonio R.: Descartes’ Irrtum: Fühlen – Denken und das menschliche Gehirn, List, 1994
Joseph E. LeDoux: The Emotional Brain, Simon and Schuster, New York (1996)
de Gelder, Beatrice; Alessia Celeghin, Marc Tamietto: From affective blindsight to emotional consciousness, 2015, Consciousness and Cognition 36, 414-425
Solanas, Marta Poyo, Maarten J. Vaessen, and Beatrice de Gelder. “The role of computational and subjective features in emotional body expressions.” Scientific Reports 10.1 (2020): 1-13.
Haggard Patrik, Eimer Martin: On the Relation between Brain Potentials and the Awareness of Voluntary Movements. Experimental Brain Research 126:128–133, 1999
Haynes, John-Dylan: Beyond Libet: Long-term prediction of free choices from neuroimaging signals.” Characterizing Consciousness: From Cognition to the Clinic?. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2011. 161-174.Gigerenzer, Gerd. Risiko. Wie man die richtigen Entscheidungen trifft 2 (2013): 147-151.
Schmidt Stefan, Joa Han-Gue, Wittmann Marc, Hinterberger, Thilo: Catching the waves’ – slow cortical potentials as moderator of Voluntary action, 2018
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