Dealing with the irrational stakeholder as a business analyst

Why don't some stakeholders make the right decision when the rational choice is obvious? Just how hard is it to make a choice based on hard facts and sound analysis?

Actually, it's very hard for most people in the world, as I read in a recent article in New Scientist. According to this research, people who use analysis to make a decision are outnumbered by 7 to 1 by those who don't.

This may come as an nasty surprise to a business analyst, especially if they have made every effort to be objective and thorough in their analysis, avoiding all emotive or subjective content and trying to be as 'scientific' in their approach as possible.   

The brutal truth is that people from many other countries take a more 'holistic' approach to decisions that reflects their cultural bias towards valuing collectivism, patterns and context over individuality, classifications and rules.  

This difference suggests that business analysts need to think a little harder when they try and determine the best approach to get decisions made on their requirements. We should consider the cultural background and value system of stakeholders and not just their role and personality type.  

If our stakeholder analysis fails to consider these factors, we may find that no matter how well the facts are argued and communicated they may fall on deaf ears - or at least ears that hear different things.