This article introduces the concept of a negotiated belief structure to help analyze how political and information-processing forces work to create decision premises within a strategy-making group. Negotiated belief structures are defined as the beliefs or assumptions that underscore a strategic decision, the enacted beliefs or assumptions that reflect the politics of decision-making. Negotiated belief structures may be limited, contested, contextual, or dialectical in nature. These types of belief structures and their implications for strategic decision making are discussed and a prescription for managing the strategymaking process is suggested.
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