Dear Professor Neng Liang:
I think "reasoned decision" is a good way to frame it. There can be no correct or right answer because the factors that matter to the candidates are likely to vary with the candidate.
Frankly, I have always liked Ben Franklin's decision-making process; namely, one of weighing the pros and cons of various options. Again, variability enters the picture because what one candidate might consider a pro, another candidate might consider a con.
So, I would recommend a process than begins with identifying the factors to be weighed as positives or negatives (pros or cons). For example, for a CEO position, these might include things like location and relocating, compensation (including stock options), degree of autonomy, degree of accountability and to whom, perks, expectations regarding CEO accomplishments, and so on).
Then, once the decision-related factors have been identified, they can be weighed as pros or cons in Ben Franklin's framework. For an easy-to-use instance of the Ben Franklin decision-making framework see "Making Decisions Like Ben Franklin" at https://www.nickols.us/Ben_Franklin_Decision_Making.pdf
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Fred Nickols
Managing Partner
Distance Consulting LLC
"Assistance at a Distance"
Dear colleagues
I teach a course for Chinese executives, on the topic of governance and succession planning. Can anyone suggest a good reference for executives, in terms of how to evaluate a job offer for a CEO position? I teach a case where the protagonist is offered a CEO position from a startup, and need to decide if to take the offer and join the firm. The executive is working in a western multinational firm, and the offer comes from a private Chinese firm. A huge upside potential, but also significant downside risk. I am looking for a good practitioner oriented framework to help students make a more reasoned decision. Thanks!
Neng Liang, Ph.D.
Professor of Management, China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)
President, International Association of Chinese Management Research (IACMR)
8621 2890-5229; liangneng@ceibs.edu