Power, Politics, and Process of Decision Making

Abstract

Studies of organizational decision making provide ample evidence that the rational method of decision making is honored more in the breach than in the observance. Using these studies as a point of departure, this paper argues that the sometimes rational process of organizational decision making is also a political process. Organizational decisions are often made by people who have vested interests in the outcomes of the decisions. The paper concludes with a set of suggested actions that managers may take to improve their performance as well as that of their organizations.