Blackwell Reference Online

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Theoretical and empirical studies of decision-making pervade organization theory. They have done so for over six decades. James March and Herbert Simon suggested in 1958 that managing organizations and decision-making were virtually synonymous. From this broad perspective, decision-making has maintained its centrality to the field of organization theory and is one of the most active areas of current management research, particularly in the field of strategic management. The dynamics of organizing brought with them the need for understanding decision-making. As organizations grew and became more complex, decision-making became a central activity. Managers, in particular, were expected to make choices amongst often uncertain alternatives and to choose wisely – benefiting the organization and its many stakeholders. Scholars were expected to uncover the characteristics of decision processes and to explain ways in which we might, ultimately, improve the ways in which decisions were made in organizations. The scholarly study of decision-making covers many levels of analysis (from individual cognition to the cultural characteristics of nation-states), and many disciplines inform our knowledge (from mathematics to behavioral theories of social science). The term strategic decision-making is usually used to indicate decisions made in organizations, as opposed to individual choice activity ... log in or subscribe to read full text