Sustainable Design and Social Responsibility - Sustainable Design: The Science of Sustainability and Green Engineering - page 208

Figure 5.3 Decision force field.
The initial conditions will be
driven toward influences. The
stronger the influence of a factor
(e.g., medical efficacy), the
greater the decision will be drawn
to that perspective.

Pull from
influencing
factor 1

Pull from
influencing
factor 2

Decision

Pull from
influencing
factor n …

Pull from
influencing
factor 3

magnetic forces increases, the relative intensity of each factor will drive the
decision progressively. The decision is distorted toward various influences. So in
our greenhouse gas propellant example, the medical efficacy drives the decision
(Fig. 5.5). The stronger the magnet, the more the decision that will actually be
made will be pulled in that direction. Thus, in greening hospitals, for example,
physicians and clinical engineers may drive the decision in one direction; lawyers
may pull in another direction, and environmental professionals and green design-
ers may pull in a different direction. The net effect is a decision that has been “de-
formed” in a manner unique for that decision and that must be considered by the
designer.
Thus, the harm must be considered comprehensively. By their very nature,
design professionals are risk managers. All design decisions are made under risk
and uncertainty (that is why factors of safety are a part of every recommenda-
tion). The risk management process is informed by the quantitative results of
the risk assessment process. The shape and size of the resulting decision force
field diagram give an idea of the principal driving factors that lead to deci-
sions. Therefore, the force field diagram can be a useful, albeit subjective tool
to visualize initial conditions, boundary conditions, constraints, trade-offs, and
opportunities.