Hmmm. I had trouble getting past the first point, which is:
"1. Decisions are the foundation of all actions - including behaviors"
Of course, terms aren't defined (actions vs. behaviors and "decisions"), and I may well be missing context, but ...
a. This seems like an unrealistically rational view of people. Folks as diverse as Freud and Skinner would be skeptical of conscious, deliberative, rational decision making as the prime mover or foundation of ALL actions/behaviors. At least some subset of action or behavior is not "mindful" but habitual and conditioned.
b. Some would argue that, by the time the "sense-making" process has unfolded (including the relevant questioning and assumption making), the "decision-making" can seem pretty much determined. (Scott Snook's "Friendly Fire" presents the case nicely, making Weick's basic ideas come alive.) So an alternative and perhaps promising prime assumption might be that "sense-making" is the foundation of all actions.
However, ... pursuing the spirit of what I think is being said, I would like to recommend Russo and Shoemaker's "Decision Traps" as an insightful, readable text that has been well-received by many students. A search of "decision traps" on the Internet will deliver quite a few hits.
Erik Jansen Ph.D.
ejansen@nps.navy.mil
Department of Information Sciences
Grad. School of Operations & Information Sciences
589 Dyer Rd., Root Hall 235
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, CA 93943
office: (831) 656-2623 fax: (831) 656-3679
-----Original Message-----
From: Management Education and Development Discussion [mailto:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU]On Behalf Of
j.milliken@ulster.ac.uk
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2003 1:42 AM
To:
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU
Subject: Re: Some lateral thinking
Hi Erwin,
Good to hear from - looks like some creative management is nedded here. As
a teacher my concern is with the curriculum levels in any management course:
1. Specified ----by govt. intervention, perception of the market place or,
indeed institutional influence
2. Enacted -------what the individual teacher conveys, etc.
3. Experienced ----- by the student.
Unfortunately a fourth and more worrying apsect is becoming more prevalent
4. Hidden curriculum ---- the student attitude of, "what do I need to know
to get through".
I feel that this last aspect is a worrying trend and as such students tend
not to engage with the literature. I tried an experiment in marketing
decison making using a case study I developed some ten years ago. The
original students performed really well and demonstrated decision making
(and taking) skills. They cleary showed recall, comprehension and
appliaction. Recent undergraduates could not actually get to grips with the
issues and did not progress beyond recall- and that at quite a basic level.
As T. S. Elliot said, "Between the thought and the action lies the shadow".
Thank you for sucha stimulating topic and I hope others with contribute - I
certainly will.
Best wishes,
John
----- Original Message -----
From: "Charles Wankel" <
wankelc@optonline.net>
To: <
MG-ED-DV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU>
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2003 1:30 AM
Subject: Some lateral thinking
From: Erwin Rausch
DidacticRa@aol.com
Hi, list members
For the past umpteen years I have tried to gain wider awareness of a number
of thoughts that, to me, seems compelling. Despite two books, many
management
seminars, and presentations at academic conventions, including an attempted
'debate', I have not been able to generate a critical analysis. This is
despite that fact that, so far, not one serious objection has been raised
(other
than that there is no empirical validation), nor has any internal
inconsistency
or conflict been uncovered.
I was wondering whether, possibly, there are members of this list who would
be interested or willing to engage in a discussion of the thoughts
described
below, including the two near the end that may be perceived either as an
overly
harsh and at least partially unjustified critique of current educational
practice, or as a challenge to be debated (hopefully as the latter). I
would
greatly welcome that.
Cheers,
Erwin (Rausch)
didacticra@aol.com and
erausch@kean.edu
***************
Here, as brief as I am capable of stating them, are the thoughts:
1. Decisions are the foundation of all actions - including behaviors
2. Better decisions will usually bring more effective actions
3. Decisions that consider all issues that can impact on the decision
outcomes are more likely to be better decisions than those that have less
thorough
foundation
4. It is often not possible to consider all issues that can impact on
decision outcomes but if the effort is made to do so, the decision is likely
to be
better than if the effort is not made.
5. A group of comprehensive, integrated questions that can remind of all or
most of the issues that deserve consideration in a decision, can help to
ensure that relevant issues are not likely to be ignored.
6. The more aware a decision maker is of the theoretical and practical
foundations for answering the questions, the more likely it will be that the
questions will have full meaning in terms of the issues that could be
considered in
shaping and evaluating the decision alternatives
7. There is little in the field of management and leadership education, and
development, that directly addresses this need for learners to acquire
greater
competence in decision making. Victor Vroom's work on participation and
Herbert Simon's emphasis on decisions rather than actions, are two
outstanding
exceptions. However, the focus of education in Organizational Behavior
aspects
of management is primarily on theories and descriptive examples of the
application of theories to specific situations, rather than on helping
learners
develop the critical thinking and analysis skills that lead to consistently
better
decisions in all situations.
8. Better balance between the descriptive and prescriptive (as is done in
the scientific and functional disciplines) would likely bring graduates of
educational and developmental programs who will make better comprehensive
management and leadership decisions and thus probably bring more effective
organizations.
9. The thoughts discussed above apply not only at work but also in private
life.