The Sustainable Decision Finder, SDF, recognized by Pompeu Fabra University as an innovative teaching practice, is a methodology based on the ECOOPx cooperation model. It has been designed to improve decision-making in diverse groups, foster cooperation, and reduce the conflicts that may arise when a shared agreement needs to be reached.

Conceptual foundation

Unlike traditional voting systems, which tend to identify the option preferred by the majority, the SDF proposes a different perspective: it does not only ask what each person prefers, but also what level of resistance each option generates. In this way, the SDF transforms resistance into an active democratic element and helps groups make more inclusive, more consensual, and more sustainable decisions.

This perspective makes it possible to

• Detect tensions that often do not appear in conventional voting.
• Make visible objections that may remain hidden behind a majority decision.
• Identify individual and collective resistance before it turns into conflict.
• Facilitate more inclusive and sustainable agreements in diverse groups.

How it works

Participants assess different options on a scale from 0 to 12, where 0 indicates no resistance and 12 indicates maximum resistance. The aim is to identify the option that produces the least friction within the group and therefore has the greatest chance of being accepted, sustained, and implemented cooperatively.

When very high levels of resistance appear, the SDF does not interpret them as an obstacle, but as valuable information. These forms of resistance indicate that the dialogue needs to be reopened, the proposal reviewed, or a more inclusive alternative explored.

Resources

• Audiovisual explanation of the SDF  
• SDF Manual: methodology and practical cases
• Mobile application: The development of a mobile application is currently being launched to facilitate the administration and management of the SDF, with the expectation that it will be available during the 2026/2027 academic year. 
• Related course in the UPF International Programs: Intercultural Cooperation and Transformational Change

Team

The SDF was developed by Leonard Glab Frontera, Associate Professor at Pompeu Fabra University in the Faculty of Economics and Business, and founder and researcher at G-Lab-2b, Independent Applied Research Lab.
Contact: [email protected]