Decision-makers have many defined and widely accepted tools in place to manage projects and programs. However, can the same be said for the very early stages of projects? This research investigates what researchers are now referring to as the Fuzzy Front End of Innovation, which is defined as the territory leading up to organizational-level absorption and commercialization of the innovation process. Despite all of the actions in establishing new operational efficiencies and project management guidelines to improve New Product Development (NPD), a formalized model does not exist for the screening and filtering of the most exceptional opportunities. The ALAS Fuzzy Front End of Innovation Process Model is proposed to help manage the innovation process. This model is based on an in-depth literature review and respondent interview data. As a secondary topic this thesis will look to understand and propose the organizational structure required to support pre-phase Fuzzy Front End activities, governance and management’s role. This will not be a discussion on organizational types within development or engineering organizations (i.e.: matrix, product, platform organizational structures) but rather from the findings propose a structure that helps define who the key stake holders are in approving or rejecting development efforts. / text

The distribution of influence in organizational decisions is analysed in relation to institutional frameworks and characteristics inherent to decision topics. Distribution of influence is defined as the concentration of participants in decision process and their specific capability to influence decision outcomes. This definition encompasses two dimensions which are: participation in the decision processes and effective influence upon the decision outcomes. Institutional frameworks are distinguished according to the loci of their genesis and existence, that are: the focal organization the task-environment and the larger social context. Six characteristics inherent to decision topics are identified as related to variables defined as properties of decision. The analysis is carried out at two distinct stages. At the first stage, it examines the relationships of the institutional frameworks - existing at the organization and the task environment level - and of the properties of decisions with the distribution of influence in decision processes. At the second stage, the patterns of influence that emerged out of the first stage of analysis are analysed in terms of cultural traits prevailing in Brazilian society. The results point to variation in the distribution of influence in decision processes associated with factors of the taskenvironment, of the context of the organizations and characteristics inherent to decision topics. But they do not provide a wholly satisfactory explanation of such variation. A more general pattern of influence in management decisionmahing, characterized by low level of participation and high centre of influence in decision processes, appears as the dominant profile of the distribution of influence in Brazilian organizations. Interpreted in the light of the Brazilian social context, this pattern of influence in management decision making shows pervasive cultural traits, identified in the macro social system. Comparing the patterns of influence in management decisionmaking in Brazil and Britain, similarities and differences come to light. The comparative analysis corroborates the argument that patterns of influence in management decision making are bound to contingent as much as to institutional factors. / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico CNPq - and from the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG

Decisions made by street-level police officers during encounters with the public have an immediate and long-lasting effect. Bad choices can cause a loss of trust, respect, and legitimacy for the police in a community and lay a foundation for violent confrontations between officers and citizens. Layers of culture that shape human decisions consist of social and institutional culture, including interactions that shape an individual's culture and beliefs and demographics and technology that affect cultural development. Police culture (which includes these layers of culture and factors like rank, units, and history) shapes attitudes and opinions about communities and people in a police jurisdiction, leading to barriers to officers' acceptance of training initiatives to implement new methods of dealing with the public. Understanding police culture is the first step in making positive changes in police decision-making and improving trust, respect, and legitimacy between officers and the community. Acker's theory of social structure social learning provided the theoretical framework for understanding police culture, which could lead to positive changes such as training programs that address police culture's influence on decision-making. A qualitative research method with a phenomenological approach for interviewing officers was used to investigate police culture and how it affects decision-making. Results indicated that officers think of culture as a family or brotherhood and not a culture. The most significant impact on decision-making is experience. These findings can lead to positive social change by making officers stakeholders in developing training in positive social relationships with the community.

We study the influence of technological efficiency and organizational inertia on the emergence of competition when firms decide myopically. Using an agent-based computer simulation model, we observe the competitive reaction of a former monopolist to the advent of a new competitor. While the entrant uses a new technology, the monopolist is free either to stick to his former technology or to switch to the new one. We find that?irrespective of details regarding the demand side?a change of industry leadership occurs only if the new (?disruptive?) technology is not too efficient and organizations are inert. (author's abstract) / Series: Working Papers SFB "Adaptive Information Systems and Modelling in Economics and Management Science"

The distribution of influence in organizational decisions is analysed in relation to institutional frameworks and characteristics inherent to decision topics. Distribution of influence is defined as the concentration of participants in decision process and their specific capability to influence decision outcomes. This definition encompasses two dimensions which are: participation in the decision processes and effective influence upon the decision outcomes. Institutional frameworks are distinguished according to the loci of their genesis and existence, that are: the focal organization the task-environment and the larger social context. Six characteristics inherent to decision topics are identified as related to variables defined as properties of decision. The analysis is carried out at two distinct stages. At the first stage, it examines the relationships of the institutional frameworks - existing at the organization and the task environment level - and of the properties of decisions with the distribution of influence in decision processes. At the second stage, the patterns of influence that emerged out of the first stage of analysis are analysed in terms of cultural traits prevailing in Brazilian society. The results point to variation in the distribution of influence in decision processes associated with factors of the taskenvironment, of the context of the organizations and characteristics inherent to decision topics. But they do not provide a wholly satisfactory explanation of such variation. A more general pattern of influence in management decisionmahing, characterized by low level of participation and high centre of influence in decision processes, appears as the dominant profile of the distribution of influence in Brazilian organizations. Interpreted in the light of the Brazilian social context, this pattern of influence in management decision making shows pervasive cultural traits, identified in the macro social system. Comparing the patterns of influence in management decisionmaking in Brazil and Britain, similarities and differences come to light. The comparative analysis corroborates the argument that patterns of influence in management decision making are bound to contingent as much as to institutional factors.

This thesis critically assesses the literature on strategic management accounting that is budgeting and corporate governance and also the managerial decision-making literature (primarily in the areas of strategic planning and change management). It is essentially a theory building and analytical thesis utilising a critical social science approach. The main aim is the construction of a collaborative theory of decision-making and associated methodology that will underpin and explain a more ‘robust’ construction of decision outcomes within an individual organizational context. In doing so it evaluates and synthesises Habermas’s theory of communicative action with the intention of incorporating key elements as well as insights from Latour, complexity theory and Peirce in relation to doubt-driven inquiry in a proposed collaboratively oriented theory of organizational decision enhancement (ODE). ODE theory is argued to be widely applicable in the decision-making process utilised by organizations (private, public and non-profit). The claims implicit within the theory and its associated decision-making methodology are assessed empirically at the strategic planning level. This was part of an action research project commenced in July 2001 with Tertiary Institution’s current strategic planning round covering the planning time horizon 2003-2007. ODE theory postulates that effective decision-making in a world of uncertainty is best undertaken in a practical and collaborative group process. The theory, that I have derived, is stated as follows: Optimal decision-making which a particular group of decision makers can construct in a world of uncertainty and risk is a pragmatic, recursive and democratised process. The process minimises the role of individual power, authority, self-interest and ego. This collaborative approach focuses on the force of the ‘better argument’, utilises constructive conflict (CC) and continuous, conscious, collaborative adaptation (CCCA) and results in the selection and monitoring of a ‘best-option’ decision outcome. The theory minimises the role of power and authority, focuses on the Habermasian concept of the force of the ‘better argument’, maximises the utility of resistance to change and results in the selection of a ‘best-alternative’ option that is subjected to a rigorous, performance measure-based monitoring feedback loop. In so doing this thesis extends significantly the earlier extant literature on organizational decision-making. It effectively revisits the notion of teams and groups in the organizational context and argues for organizations to seriously consider ‘reengineering’ the decision-making methodology and approach to one that necessitates effective devolution and delegation of decision-making powers. I argue that organizations should allow for and promote a ‘cascade’ effect to let control, power, authority and collective responsibility filter down through the organizational layers. Effectiveness and not efficiency (falsely perceived as timely) should be the aim of well-constructed decision outcomes. The adaptability and self-organising capability of the workforce requires an inclusive, not exclusive, decision-making methodology to unlock and realise the full future potential of the organization.

Abstract This study focuses on the process of communication between government agencies and the public during crisis situations, and the development of an effective response strategy when a significant threat to public health and/or safety is believed to exist. My specific research interests are (1) the nature of the decision-making process that influences the communicative choices made during such events, and (2) how decision-makers make sense of an evolving, ambiguous, and unpredictable situation, in order to establish credibility with the public, determine the appropriate response strategy, and gain the public's trust in order to influence its behavior. This is a qualitative research study based on a series of in-depth interviews conducted with key staff members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the CDC's organizational response to the 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza pandemic. As global public health threats have the potential to significantly affect critical areas of the U.S. economy, national security policies are evolving to include strategic planning for issues related to global public health threats. However, despite having faced several serious public health threats during the past decade, governments worldwide and the global public health community continue to struggle with developing sufficient contingency plans and effective response strategies to meet the challenges of unexpected, highly unpredictable, and potentially devastating public health crises. My research addresses gaps identified in exploring the experience of crisis response participants in order to understand the process of response development. Additionally, I identify practices, processes, and recommendations that will be useful for future response teams confronted with equally challenging emerging threat and/or crisis scenarios.

This in-depth exploratory case study examines the real estate decision-making processes in four small, charitable organizations through the lens of Actor Network Theory (ANT). While decision-makers in these cases followed logical pathways and criteria in searching for and evaluating alternatives, this investigation also found these processes were often lengthy, complex, bounded rational, and political. The analysis looked at the relative roles played by various internal and external actors (including influential non-human actors such as feasibility studies, renderings, budgets, and plans) and the resulting fragile, but acceptable outcomes. From the presented engaged scholarship, practical implications emerged that can aid nonprofit managers and their boards in their real estate decision-making processes. Lastly, in addition to helping understand the process of creating real estate decisions in the context of nonprofit organizations, the analysis demonstrates how ANT with its focus on how heterogeneous human and non-human actors interact and come together to act as a whole, can be a valuable framework in examining the socio-technical, political process of real estate decision-making.

This in-depth exploratory case study examines the real estate decision-making processes in four small, charitable organizations through the lens of Actor Network Theory (ANT). While decision-makers in these cases followed logical pathways and criteria in searching for and evaluating alternatives, this investigation also found these processes were often lengthy, complex, bounded rational, and political. The analysis looked at the relative roles played by various internal and external actors (including influential non-human actors such as feasibility studies, renderings, budgets, and plans) and the resulting fragile, but acceptable outcomes. From the presented engaged scholarship, practical implications emerged that can aid nonprofit managers and their boards in their real estate decision-making processes. Lastly, in addition to helping understand the process of creating real estate decisions in the context of nonprofit organizations, the analysis demonstrates how ANT with its focus on how heterogeneous human and non-human actors interact and come together to act as a whole, can be a valuable framework in examining the socio-technical, political process of real estate decision-making.

This thesis investigates the implementation of eleven strategic decisions in six organizations. The decisions concern the installation of new technology, the carrying out of various building programmes and the re-organization of organizational structures The organizations comprise a university, a water authority, two mail order companies and two chemical firms. The objective is to describe and explain implementation processes and outcomes. To this end, eleven independent variables and three dependent variables are distinguished. These conceptualise the success of implementation outcomes and define the factors which affect the level of success. Two groupings are isolated within the independent variables. The 'Enabler' group of variables is concerned with how familiar people are with what has to be implemented, the priority of implementation, having enough resources available, having a favourable organizational structure and maintaining a flexible approach during implementation. All these factors help to secure a moderate degree of success. However the second grouping of variables - the 'Realizers' - are required to achieve the highest level of success in implementation. These are to do with being clear about what has to be done and being able to evaluate what has been achieved, enjoying favourable conditions and support inside the organization, and having a little luck along the way. Conclusions are drawn about the levels of risk associated with implementing different topics and the steps which managers can take to reduce risk and enhance the chances of success.