PSY 655 Week 6 DQ 1: Context and Decision Flags
Both ideas describe the same failure from different sides: acting on a model of the situation that leaves out what will actually determine the outcome.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 16, 2026
Two ideas, one comparison — say what they share
The instruction is draw a comparison, so the post has to identify what the two ideas share rather than describing each in turn. Portes's argument, as the article uses it, is that unintended consequences follow from acting without careful and sustained analysis of the social context — the outcome is not random, it was foreseeable to anyone who had examined the setting closely enough. The red flags framework says that leaders go wrong when a pattern-matching judgement is distorted by a misleading experience, a prejudgement or an attachment. Put side by side, both describe a decision made on an incomplete model of the situation. Portes locates the incompleteness in the analysis that was not done; the red flags locate it in the analysis that felt complete because a familiar pattern fired. That is the comparison, and it is worth stating in one sentence before elaborating.
Two further points are worth making because they sharpen rather than repeat. First, both accounts reject the idea that bad outcomes indicate bad intent or low ability, which is why both propose process remedies rather than better people. Second, they differ usefully in where they look: Portes points outward at the setting and its social structure, while the red flags point inward at the decision-maker's own history. A leader can do one and not the other, and a technology rollout is the standard case where both fail together — the tool works in the pilot unit, the pattern says it will work everywhere, and the social context of the other units differs in ways nobody examined. Close with a rule that follows from combining them: before a decision with wide reach, ask both who has looked at this specific setting and what previous situation this reminds me of, since the two questions catch different errors.
Likely learning objectives
Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.
- 01Identify shared structure between two accounts of decision failure.
- 02Distinguish outward-facing from inward-facing sources of incompleteness.
- 03Explain why both accounts propose process rather than personnel remedies.
- 04Derive a combined decision rule from two frameworks.
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references) Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count. Follow APA 7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points. Here are some helpful links Student paper example Citing Sources The Writing Center is a great resource Welcome to class Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. 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A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! PSY 655 Grand Canyon Week 6 Discussion 1 Latest November 2016 Grading Rubric Guidelines Performance Category 10 9 8 4 0 Scholarliness Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions. Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry clearly stating how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions Evaluates literature resources to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis. Uses valid, relevant, and reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry but does not clearly state how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Evaluates information from source(s) to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Uses some valid, relevant, reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion. Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) with some interpretation/evaluation, but not enough to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Little valid, relevant, or reliable outside sources are used to contribute to the threaded discussion. Demonstrates little or no understanding of the topic. Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) without any interpretation/evaluation. The posting uses information that is not valid, relevant, or reliable No evidence of the use of scholarly inquiry to inform or change professional or academic decisions. Information is not valid, relevant, or reliable Performance Category 10 9 8 4 0 Application of Course Knowledge – Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources; Applies concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life. Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources. Applies concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Interactions with classmates are relevant to the discussion topic but do not make direct reference to lesson content Posts are generally on topic but do not build knowledge by incorporating concepts and principles from the lesson. Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Does not demonstrate a solid understanding of the principles and concepts presented in the lesson Posts do not adequately address the question posed either by the discussion prompt or the instructor’s launch post. Posts are superficial and do not reflect an understanding of the lesson content Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Posts are not related to the topics provided by the discussion prompt or by the instructor; attempts by the instructor to redirect the student are ignored No discussion of lesson concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life Performance Category 5 4 3 2 0 Interactive Dialogue Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days. (5 points possible per graded thread) Exceeds minimum post requirements Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts three or more times in each graded thread, over three separate days. Replies to a post posed by faculty and to a peer Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days Replies to a question posed by a peer Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week. Meets expectations of 2 posts on 2 different days. The main post is not made by the Wednesday deadline Does not reply to a question posed by a peer or faculty Has only one post for the week Discussion posts contain few, if any, new ideas or applications; often are a rehashing or summary of other students’ comments Does not post to the thread No connections are made to the topic Minus 1 Point Minus 2 Point Minus 3 Point Minus 4 Point Minus 5 Point Grammar, Syntax, APA Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted. Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition 2-3 errors in APA format. Written responses have 2-3 grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Writing style is generally clear, focused, and facilitates communication. 4-5 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 4-5 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is somewhat focused. 6-7 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 6-7 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is slightly focused making discussion difficult to understand. 8-10 errors in APA format. Writing responses have 8-10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style is not focused, making discussion difficult to understand. Post contains greater than 10 errors in APA format. Written responses have more than 10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Writing style does not facilitate communication. The student continues to make repeated mistakes in any of the above areas after written correction by the instructor 0 points lost -5 points lost Total Participation Requirements per discussion thread The student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day. The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days Early Participation Requirement per discussion thread The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT.
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01Accurate statements of both ideas.
- 02A one-sentence statement of what they share.
- 03The difference in where each looks for the problem.
- 04A worked case where both failures occur together.
- 05A combined decision rule.
Each idea, the common structure, then the practical rule
Portes on social context
State the claim about sustained analysis and foreseeability.
The red flags
State the distortions of pattern-matching judgement.
The shared structure
Identify the incomplete model both describe.
Where each looks
Contrast outward setting analysis with inward experience.
A rule that uses both
Derive two questions to ask before a wide-reaching decision.
Unintended consequences in technology adoption
Recommended databases
- PubMed Central
- PsycINFO
- Business Source Complete
- Google Scholar
Search sequence
- 1.Read both assigned articles for their own claims before comparing.
- 2.Search for unintended consequences in technology implementation.
- 3.Look for evidence on why pilot results fail to scale.
- 4.Find one structured pre-decision review method.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.
- 01
Strategies to reduce diagnostic errors: a systematic review
BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making · 2019
Strategies to reduce error in expert judgement — the closest thing to an evidence base on debiasing a decision.
- 02
Where Do Models for Change Management, Improvement and Implementation Meet? A Systematic Review of the Applications of Change Management Models in Healthcare
Journal of Healthcare Leadership · 2021
Implementation models, most of which formalise exactly the context analysis Portes argues for.
- 03
Computerized Provider Order Entry
AHRQ Patient Safety Network · 2019
A technology rollout with well-documented unintended consequences — the worked case this post needs.
- 04
Change management for services redesign in healthcare: a conceptual framework
PubMed Central · 2024
A redesign framework that treats setting analysis as a required stage.
- 05
Patient Safety 101
AHRQ PSNet · 2025
Systems versus person explanations of failure, which is the shared commitment of both frameworks.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Describing both ideas in turn and calling that a comparison.
- Treating unintended consequences as inherently unforeseeable.
- Missing that both frameworks reject intent-based explanations.
- Ending with a summary rather than a rule.
Submission checklist
- Have you stated what the two ideas share?
- Is the difference in orientation identified?
- Does your example show both failures at once?
- Is there a rule at the end that combines them?
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