The sixteen NADIR pairs this paper read, word for word in the English this study made from the Korean originals, each under the short title the paper gives it: the question first, then the first sentence of the judgment, which is also the pair's decision focus, then each option with its benefit, its cost and its condition of use; where two pairs share the same options, these are given under the first. The other four sentences of each judgment are the same in all eight pairs of a situation; they are given once, under the first pair of each situation. Each is a hypothesis, unreviewed, in one of the two invented situations of chapter 1. None names a real person, organisation, brand or event, so no line has been withheld. The studio's labels are given in the line under each title, not quoted.
The loudest voice
Pair nadir:human:518, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 022, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; the four sentences its judgment shares with the other pairs of the situation are given here.
The last resources, taken first by the party with the loudest voice
Bargaining power and the size of the harm may not match.
It is a situation in which the remaining resources are not enough to fulfil every promise, so the order of termination must be decided.
Ending one thing first can increase the harm to other relationships.
If only visible pressure is followed, a quiet party may end up bearing more of the cost.
The order should be explained by the size of the impact, the possibility of substitution and the time needed to prepare, and changed conditions should be reviewed again.
Set a common standard first, then judge
Reduces variation that follows relationships and pressure
Agreement on the standard may come late and delay action
When several parties and repeated choices are entangled
Resolve the present case first and supplement the standard
Can reduce immediate harm
The first exception may harden into a de facto rule
When the harm of delay is large and a later review is guaranteed
Support outside the sale
Pair nadir:human:538, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 042, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; the four sentences its judgment shares with the other pairs of the situation are given here.
The actual support work of people not included in the sale
If help must go on after the transfer, the cost remains outside the deal.
It is a situation in which a low-performing business is to be sold, but its staff and customer relationships are entangled with other businesses.
The price of one business alone makes it hard to judge the impact of the transfer.
The amount recovered by the sale and the gap that opens in the remaining organisation must be looked at together.
If it can be run independently, the matter is simple, but if it shares core knowledge and relationships, preparation for separation is needed first.
Widen the scope and check for hidden costs
Finds burdens that have moved to other people and other times
Adds the burden of further checking to current work
When surface performance and experience on the ground repeatedly differ
Inspect selectively, starting with the key risks
Concentrates few resources on large problems
Small, scattered burdens may keep being missed
When time is limited and the impacts can be ranked
The order of termination
Pair nadir:human:580, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 022, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
When the order of termination is set, the effect on other promises is also counted.
Ending one task in haste can remove a necessary condition for fulfilling another.
Coordinate the order through one point of contact
Handles conflicts and overlapping promises at a glance
A new bottleneck may form at the person coordinating
When competition for shared resources and conflicts of responsibility are large
Each person in charge coordinates autonomously within set boundaries
Keeps the speed and flexibility of response on the ground
The overall impact may be missed or the same resource assigned twice
When the boundaries of roles and shared information are clear enough
A change of name on the contract
Pair nadir:human:600, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 042, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
The transfer of a customer relationship does not end with a change of name on the contract.
The other party needs time to trust and understand the new party that will perform.
Work alongside and confirm the actual performance
Hands over judgments on exceptions and the context with them
Needs the time of the predecessor and the successor at once
When judgments are complex or depend heavily on personal knowledge
Hand over through documents and a responsible point of contact
Makes the scope of the transfer clear and saves time
Unrecorded exceptions may surface later
When the work is standardised and a route for answering questions remains
The same date for every party
Pair nadir:human:642, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 022, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
Is it fair to give every party the same date?
If the time needed to prepare an alternative differs, the same deadline becomes a different burden.
Adjust starting with the groups most affected
Reflects differences in harm and dependence
If the standard cannot be explained, it may look like favouritism
When the possibility of substitution and the time to prepare differ greatly
Apply the same conditions to everyone
Secures consistency and predictability
May treat different burdens as the same
When the impacts and the conditions of choice are similar enough
Key staff who do not follow
Pair nadir:human:662, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 042, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
How does the value of the deal change if key staff do not go with it?
There may be capabilities that documents and equipment alone cannot reproduce.
Decide after confirming further facts
Reduces errors in assumptions and unnecessary input
Costs of delay and lost opportunities may arise
When information that can be confirmed is likely to change the conclusion
Make a limited decision on present information
Checks the actual response while acting
A wrong premise may show up as a cost of execution
When the decision can be reversed and the loss from waiting is large
The stamina of the closing staff
Pair nadir:human:704, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 022, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
A closing budget that must include even the stamina of the staff winding things up
If people's slack is counted as an unlimited resource, the final judgments waver.
Reduce the work to secure room to recover
Makes clear which promises the present staff can keep
Some goals and opportunities are postponed
When there is sustained overload and hidden overwork
Reinforce staff and support to keep the scope
Maintains the necessary functions and relationships
Hiring and learning costs come first, and the problem may not be solved at once
When additional resources are actually secured and demand continues
Focused time for separation
Pair nadir:human:724, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 042, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation, and its options are those given under The stamina of the closing staff.
The remaining organisation's focused time spent on the work of separation
The coordination needed to close the deal can slow the recovery of other businesses.
The last point of contact
Pair nadir:human:766, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 022, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
Even the point of contact kept to the very end is given a scope and a time limit.
If unlimited responses are promised, the responsibility that was ended stays with a particular person.
State the boundary between the relationship and the work
Protects the right to refuse and to rest
May give the impression that closeness has diminished
When a favour is turning into a recurring obligation
Keep flexible cooperation but set an upper limit
Responds to the situation while keeping the relationship
Pressure to exceed the limit again may arise
When each side can confirm the other's burden and negotiate again
Support after the transfer
Pair nadir:human:786, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 042, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
Support after the transfer is given a scope and an end date.
A vague promise of cooperation becomes an unforeseen operating obligation.
Agree the standard and the scope in writing
Reduces differences of memory and arbitrary exceptions
Negotiating and maintaining it takes extra time
When responsibilities recur or the other side's expectations differ
Start with a light agreement and review it again
Responds quickly to changes in the situation
Spoken understandings may differ, or the review may be put off
When the impact is small and it can be checked again within a short period
Work left unfinished
Pair nadir:human:828, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 022, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
The uncomfortable responsibility of recording the work that will be left unfinished
If everything is described as finished, those who come after lose facts they need.
Record even the reasons for the judgment and the conditions for changing it
The next person can review and revise the premises
The cost of writing and keeping it grows
When the decision recurs or is hard to reverse
Record only the essentials needed for execution
Keeps the pace and reduces information overload
The context may disappear and later interpretations may differ
When the impact is small and the person in charge can check it at short intervals
Weaknesses made known late
Pair nadir:human:848, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 042, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
Weaknesses made known late in order to get a good price
A hidden constraint can come back after the deal as a larger conflict.
Share the confirmed facts first
Secures time for the other side to prepare
Matters not yet settled may cause misunderstanding or anxiety
When a delay in information limits the other side's choices
Widen what is confirmed, then explain everything at once
Allows consistent and clear guidance
While waiting, speculation and delays in preparation may grow
When more of the facts can be confirmed within a short time
Authority to change the plan
Pair nadir:human:890, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 022, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
Who still holds the authority to change the closing plan?
Only if there is someone to decide even in unexpected situations can neglect and high-handedness be avoided.
Delegate the final judgment to one person
Makes clear who decides and who explains
Bias in judgment and dependence may grow
When speed is needed and the scope of responsibility is clear
Review key decisions jointly
Reflects other perspectives and interests
Decisions may be delayed and responsibility diffused
When the decision is hard to reverse or has a large impact on several roles
Changes that cannot be undone
Pair nadir:human:910, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 042, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
Even if the sale is abandoned, can the changes that have already happened be undone?
In the course of the negotiation, the choices of staff and customers may have changed.
Secure buffer resources and a stopping line
Keeps an unfavourable result from bringing down the core promises
Immediate results and the scale of input become smaller
When outcomes vary widely or the cost of recovery is high
Concentrate resources to use the opportunity
Can raise the chance of success and the speed of execution
If it fails, there is less room to choose otherwise
When the key assumptions have been confirmed and the loss can be borne
Promises staked on a new business
Pair nadir:human:952, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 022, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation.
The fulfilment of the remaining promises is not staked only on the expected returns of a new business.
If an uncertain future is used as though it were a settled present resource, the responsibility is extended once more.
Preserve the resources for the core promises first
Leaves the options needed for recovery and for closing
Gives up some chances of expansion and short-term results
When new input threatens the fulfilment of existing promises
Reallocate resources to attempts with large effects
Creates a chance to change a stagnant structure
If the expectation is wrong, the remaining buffer shrinks too
When the grounds for the effect and the criteria for stopping are concrete
The recovered funds
Pair nadir:human:972, a hypothetical decision exercise of edition 5 in the studio's situation 042, in the phase of collapse, with the horizon present, unreviewed, with the status hypothesis; its judgment's other four sentences are those given under the first pair of the situation, and its options are those given under Promises staked on a new business.
The use of the recovered funds is reviewed before the deal.
If the inflow itself is read as recovery, it may be put back into the same structure of loss.