Qualitative Models of Organisational Decision-Making

Drucker Peter F. , Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices, New York, Harper and Row, 1973. As he puts it, “The first managerial skill is … the making of effective decisions”.

Machlup Fritz , “Theories of the Firm: Marginalist, Behavioural, Managerial”, American Economic Review, LVII, 1967,1–33.

Bernard C. , The Functions of the Executive, Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, 1938.

Simon Herbert A. , Administrative Behaviour, New York, Free Press, 1947.

Simon Herbert A. , “A Behavioural Model of Rational Choice”, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 1955, 69,99–118.

Dahl R. A. and Lindblom Charles , Politics, Economics and Welfare, New York, 1953.

Cyert R. M. and March J. G. , A Behavioural Theory of the Firm, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall, 1963.

Simon Herbert A. , The New Science of Management Decision (revised edition), Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall, 1977.

Galbraith John K. , The New Industrial State, New York, 1973.

Halberstam David , The Best and the Brightest, New York, Randon House, 1969.

Baumol W. J. , Business Behaviour, Value and Growth, New York, 1959.

Galbraith John K. , The New Industrial State, op. cit.

Baron Paul and Sweezy P. M. , Monopoly Capital, Penguin, 1968.

Simon Herbert A. , “Theories of Decision-Making In Economics and Behavioural Science”, American Economic Review, 1969, 64,253–283.

Georgiou P. , “The Goal Paradigm and Notes Towards a Counter Paradigm”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 18, 1973,291–310.

Thompson J. D. , Organizations in Action, New York, McGraw Hill, 1967.

Cohen M. D. and March J. G. , Leadership and Ambiguity, New York, McGraw Hill, 1974.

For a discussion of both rational and irrational orientations, see Erb, Everett and Hooker, Douglas, The Psychology of the Emerging Self, Philadelphia, F. A. Davis Company, 1971, pp.51–58.

Patchen Martin , “Decision Theory in the Study of National Action: Problems and a Proposal”, Journal of Conflict Resolution, 9, 1965,164–176.

Mintzberg Henry , et al., “The Structure of ‘Unstructured’ Decision Processes”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 21, 1976, p.246.

Mintzberg Henry , et al., “The Structure of ‘Unstructured’ Decision Processes”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 21, 1976, p.249.

Simon Herbert A. , Administrative Behaviour, Third Edition, New York, Free Press, 1976, p.39.

Mouzelis Nicos P. , Organization and Bureaucracy, Chicago, Aldine, 1967, p.51.

Simon Herbert A. , Administrative Behaviour, p.204.

Burns T. and Stalker G. M. , The Management of Innovation, London, Tavistock, 1961.

For a discussion, see Simon H. A. , The New Science of Management Decision, op. cit., Chapter 1. See also Hammon J. S. , “The Roles of the Manager and Management Scientist In Successful Implementation”, Sloan Management Review, Winter 1974, pp.1–24.

Lindblom Charles , “The Science of ‘Muddling Through’”, Public Administration Review, 1954, 19,79–88.

Lindblom Charles , A Strategy of Decision, New York, Free Press, 1963; and The Policy Making Process, New York, Prentice Hall, 1968.

Allison Graham T. , Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis, Boston, Little Brown, 1971.

Lindblom Charles , “The Science of ‘Muddling Through’”, op. cit., p.87.

Wildavsky Aaron , The Politics of the Budgetary Process, Boston, Little Brown and Company, 1964. See also Pfeffer J. and Salancik G. R. , “Organizational Decision-Making As A Political Process: The Case of a University Budget”, Administrative Science Quarterly, June 1974.

Dror Y. , Public Policy Re-examined, New York, 1966.

Dror Y. , Public Policy Re-examined, New York, 1966, p.145.

Boulding Kenneth , ‘Book Review’ of Lindblom, “A Strategy of Decision”, American Sociological Review, 1964, p.931.

Cyert and March , op. cit.

March J. G. and Simon H. A. , Organizations, New York, Wiley, 1958.

Perrow Charles , Complex Organizations: A Critical Essay, Glenview, III., Scott Foresmen, 1972, pp.146–150.

Ansoff Igor , Corporate Strategy, New York, McGraw Hill, 1965.

Carter E. Eugene , “The Behavioural Theory of the Firm and Top Level Corporate Decisions”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1971, 16,413–428.

Ansoff , op. cit., p.viii.

Bernard , The Functions of the Executive, op. cit.

Chandler Alfred D. , Strategy and Structure, Cambridge, Mass., MIT Press, 1962.

Scott Bruce , “The Individual State: Old Myths and New Realities”, Harvard Business Review, 1973, 51.

For a summary and synthesis, see Horvath Dezso , and McMillan Charles , “Strategy, Structure and Performance: A Contingency Model”, York University. Unpublished manuscript, 1978.

Newell Allen and Simon Herbert A. , Human Problem Solving, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall, 1972.

Mintzberg H. , et al., op. cit.

Weber Max . The Theory of Social and Economic Organization, Glencoe, III., Free Press, 1947.

Chandler Alfred , Strategy and Structure, op. cit. Chandler identified four basic strategies of growth: expansion of volume, geographical dispersion, vertical integration and diversification.

Chandler Alfred , Strategy and Structure, op. cit. Chandler identified four basic strategies of growth: expansion of volume, geographical dispersion, vertical integration and diversification., p.15.

Chandler Alfred , Strategy and Structure, op. cit. Chandler identified four basic strategies of growth: expansion of volume, geographical dispersion, vertical integration and diversification., p.13.

Organizations, op. cit., p.185.

Chandler , p.15.

Selznick Philip , Leadership In Administration, New York, 1957.

Katz Daniel and Kahn Robert , The Social Psychology of Organizations, New York, John Wiley, 1978.

Child John , “Organizational Structure, Environment, and Performance: The Role of Strategic Choice”, Sociology, 1972, 6,1–22.

Hall Richards , Organizations: Structure and Process, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice Hall, 1977; Perrow, Complex Organizations, op. cit.; Thompson, Organizations In Action, op. cit.

Wrigley Leonard , “Divisional Autonomy and Diversification” (Unpublished Dissertation), Boston, Harvard University, 1970; Rumelt R. , Strategy, Structure and Performance, Boston, Harvard University Press, 1974; Horvath, Dezso, Situationsan-passade Organizationer: Teori och Tillampning, Umea Universitet, Sweden, 1976.

Franco L. G. , “The Move Towards A Multidivisional Structure In European Organizations”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1974, 19,493–505; Aldrich Howard , “Technology and Organizational Structure: A Re-examination of the Aston Group”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1975, 17,26–43.

Simon , The New Science of Management Decision, op. cit.

Newell and Simon , Human Problem Solving, op. cit.

Simon , op. cit., p.65.

Simon , op. cit., p.70.

Mintzberg Henry , et al., “The Structure of ‘Unstructured’ Decision Processes”, op. cit. This study involves an analysis of 25 strategic decisions (e.g. an airline choosing a new jet aircraft, a radio station firing a star announcer) spanning from six months to more than four years.

Mintzberg Henry , “Planning on the Left Side and Managing on the Right”, Harvard Business Review, July-August, 1976; see also Gazanniga M. S. , Bisected Brain, New York, Appleton, 1970.

Arygris Chris , “Personality and Organization Theory Revisited”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1973, 18,141–168; “Some Limits of Rational Man Organization Theory”, Public Administration Review, 1973, 33,253–267.

Arygris Chris , “Single-Loop and Double-Loop Models in Research on Decision-Making”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1976, 21,363–375.

Cohen Michael D. , March J. G. and Olsen Johan P. , “A Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1972, 17,1–25.

Cohen Michael D. , March J. G. and Olsen Johan P. , “A Garbage Can Model of Organizational Choice”, Administrative Science Quarterly, 1972, 17, p.2.

Cyert and March , The Behavioural Theory of the Firm, op. cit.

Perrow , op. cit., p. 162.

Cohen , et al., op. cit., p.2.

Cohen , et al., op. cit., p.2.

Leadership and Ambiguity, op. cit.

Leadership and Ambiguity, op. cit., p.126.

Leadership and Ambiguity, op. cit., p. 126.

George Alexander L. , “The Case for Multiple Advocacy In Making Foreign Policy”, American Political Science Review, 1972, 66,751–785.

George Alexander L. , “The Case for Multiple Advocacy In Making Foreign Policy”, American Political Science Review, 1972, 66,751–785.

Silbertson Bernard , “Ringisei — Traditional Values on Organizational Imperatives in the Japanese Upper Civil Service: 1868–1945”, Journal of Asian Studies, 1972, 32,251–264.

Op. cit.

Warner Stanley W. , “Advocate Scoring for Unbiased Information”, Journal of the American Statistical Association, 1975, 70,15–22.

Warner Stanley W. , “Advocate Scoring for Unbiased Information”, Journal of the American Statistical Association, 1975, 70,15–22.

Kuhn Tillo , “Economics and Multiple Objectives in Urban Transportation”, International Journal of Transport Economics, 1976, 3,3–21.

Hickson D. J. , et. al., “Organization Decision-Making: Process and Content”, International Studies of Management and Organisation, 1980, IX,5–36.

Pettigrew A. M. , The Politics of Organizational Decision-Making, London, Tavistock, 1973.

For one attempt, focusing on entrepreneurial decision-making, see Webster F. A. , “Entrepreneurs and Ventures: An attempt at Classification and Clarification”, Academy of Management Review, January 1977.

March J. G. and Olsen J. P. , Ambiguity and Choice In Organizations, Bergen, Universitetsfarbaget, 1976. For a related analysis, drawing on such diverse areas as Zen philosophy, transcendental meditation, encounter groups, ESP and humanistic psychology, see Leavitt, Harold, “Beyond the Analytic Manager”, California Management Review I and II, Spring and Summer, 1975, especially pp.12–19. According to Leavitt, “The analytic method, in its computer-assisted form, has been accused of missing immeasurable subtleties of redefining the real problems into forms that miss the point, and of naivete and arrogance in its dealing with human problems of input and implementation” (p.20).