Suchergebnisse

ABSTRACTThis study tests two major prescriptions of Staw and Ross about the management of escalation behavior in organizations. Since these prescriptions are primarily based on research using students in controlled settings, the efficacy of the prescriptions was tested in the context of a real, functioning organization. The results provide conditional support for separating initial decision responsibility from subsequent responsibility as a means of reducing escalation behavior. However, the findings did not support a reduction of project failure risk as a means of minimizing escalation of commitment to a failing course of action.

ABSTRACTEach time managers are faced with a strategic decision they decide how to decide. Specifically, they make choices about who has necessary information and, therefore, who needs to participate in the decision. Such responses to strategic issues are believed to be affected by the way in which decision makers interpret issues. However, organizations develop habitual responses to issues and may be predisposed because of their attention to rules and routines, or because of past performance, to respond to strategic issues in certain ways regardless of how issues are interpreted. We examined the direct and indirect effects of predisposition (rule orientation and past financial performance) and interpretation of strategic issues on the participation of internal stakeholder groups in strategic decision making. Executives in 52 organizations indicated that rule orientation and performance are directly linked to participation in strategic decision making, and that interpretation and rule orientation are directly linked to each other. Implications for managers include the notion that any effort to improve decision‐making effectiveness by shaping how organizational members frame and interpret issues will be constrained by the organization's existing routines as well as its past performance.

AbstractWe examine the idea that mental models shared among paid and volunteer leaders are associated with improved financial performance in nonprofit organizations. Our empirical analysis of thirty‐seven churches yields evidence that organizations are more effective if paid and volunteer leaders have a shared task mental model—that is, if they report similar conceptualizations of organizational goals and decision‐making processes. These findings suggest that the extent of leaders' agreement on organizational goals and the processes of how decisions are made matter for organizational performance. We argue that it is as important to ensure that everyone is on the same page with regard to goals and how decisions are made as it is to have the "right" goals or right decision processes in place. Implications for practice and future research on shared mental models are discussed.