Handbook of Decision Making

HANDBOOK OF DECISION MAKINGThis handbook offers a state-of-the-art overview of research and theories on decision making in organizations at the strategic level of analysis.Chapters are authored by leading international scholars, with some illustrative case vignettes from practitioners. Each contributor was selected for his/her special knowledge of the field.The Handbook addresses key questions confronting the decision making research of the past and the present, offers critiques, and suggests future research directions. Topics covered emphasize the classic decision theory perspectives while also incorporating recent insights from the fields of strategic choice, risk & uncertainty, scenario planning and complexity theory, with a broad social science perspective on the disciplinary roots of decision theory in economics, politics, and social theory.This is a landmark reference volume for the field, offering scholars and practitioners:* Comprehensive, but accessible, coverage of classic and recent developments* Chapters by established international experts* Case analyses illustrating practical consequences of theories* Guide to new research directions and theory

Notes on the Contributors ixAbout the Editors xxiPart I Introduction 11 Crucial Trends and Issues in Strategic Decision Making 3Paul C. Nutt And David C. Wilson2 Research on Strategic Decisions: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead 31Vassilis Papadakis, Ioannis Thanos, and Patrick BarwisePart II Key Theoretical Perspectives 713 Decision Making: It's Not What You Think 73Henry Mintzberg And Frances Westley4 Organizing and the Process of Sensemaking 83Karl E. Weick, Kathleen M. Sutcliffe, And David Obstfeld5 The Political Aspects of Strategic Decision Making 105John Child, Said Elbanna, and Suzana Rodrigues6 Organizational Identity and Strategic Decision Making 139Aimee L. Hamilton And Dennis A. GioiaPart III Conceptualizing Strategic Decision Making 1537 Building a Decision-making Action Theory 155Paul C. Nutt8 A Decision Process Model to Support Timely Organizational Innovation 197Andre L. Delbecq, Terri L. Griffith, Tammy L. Madsen, And Jennifer L. Woolley9 Decision Making in Groups: Theory and Practice 231Colin Eden And Fran AckermannPart IV Factors and Considerations That Impinge On Decision Making 27310 Decision Making in Professional Service Firms 275Tim Morris, Royston Greenwood, and Samantha Fairclough11 Risk Taking and Strategic Decision Making 307Philip Bromiley And Devaki Rau12 Decision Errors of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Kind 327Kim Boal And Mark Meckler13 Decision Making in Public Organizations 349Hal G. Rainey, John C. Ronquillo, And Claudia N. Avellaneda14 Strategic Decision Making and Knowledge: A Heideggerian Approach 379Haridimos Tsoukas15 Challenges of Using IT to Support Multidisciplinary Team Decision Making 403Michael Barrett and Eivor ObornPart V Recent Empirical Findings That Support Theories And Views 43116 The Bradford Studies: Decision Making and Implementation Processes and Performance 433Susan Miller17 Comparing the Merits of Decision-making Processes 449Paul C. Nutt18 Of Baseball, Medical Decision Making, and Innumeracy 501Lori Ferranti, Steven Cheng, and David Dilts19 The Dimensions of Decisions: A Conceptual and Empirical Investigation 517Lori S. Franz and Michael W. KramerPart VI Methodology for The Study Of Decision Making 54120 Empirical Methods for Research on Organizational Decision-Making Processes 543Marshall Scott Poole and Andrew H. Van De Ven21 On the Study of Process: Merging Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches 581Paul C. Nutt22 The Bradford Studies: Issues Raised by These and Other Studies for the Understanding of Decision Making 619David C. WilsonPart VII Directions and Perspectives 64323 Discussion and Implications: Toward Creating a Unified Theory of Decision Making 645Paul C. Nutt and David C. WilsonIndex 679