Decision making in complex environments

The environment within which people make decisions is complex with overlapping components including other people, things, goals, rules, values, knowledge etc., which are in turn complex sub-systems. Decisions are made with the limited information available to the decision maker at the time, within local contexts and based on knowledge of what makes sense at the local level. This is the principle of local rationality - decisions are rational to the decision maker because they are based on the information available within the local context and at a particular point in time.

The factors that are most obvious, pressing and significant from one person's point of view aren't necessarily obvious, pressing or significant from another person's point of view.

People do things that make sense to them, given their goals, understanding of the situation and focus of attention at that time