Questions from Organization Theory and Design

Q: The manager of R&D for a drug company said that

The manager of R&D for a drug company said that only five percent of the company’s new products ever achieve market success. She also said the industry average is 10 percent and wondered how her organ...

Q: When you are faced with choosing between several valid options, how

When you are faced with choosing between several valid options, how do you typically make your decision? How do you think managers typically choose between several options? What are the similarities b...

Q: Why do you think decision mistakes are usually accepted in organizations but

Why do you think decision mistakes are usually accepted in organizations but penalized in college courses and exams that are designed to train managers?

Q: A professional economist once told his class, “An individual decision

A professional economist once told his class, “An individual decision maker should process all relevant information and select the economically rational alter- native.” Do you agree? Why or why not?

Q: If managers frequently use experience and intuition to make complex, nonprogrammed

If managers frequently use experience and intuition to make complex, nonprogrammed decisions, how do they apply evidence-based management, which seems to suggest that managers should rely on facts and...

Q: The Carnegie model emphasizes the need for a political coalition in the

The Carnegie model emphasizes the need for a political coalition in the decision-making process. When and why are coalitions necessary?

Q: What are the three major phases in Mintzberg’s incremental decision model?

What are the three major phases in Mintzberg’s incremental decision model? Why might an organization recycle through one or more phases of the model?

Q: An organization theorist once told her class, “Organizations never make

An organization theorist once told her class, “Organizations never make big decisions. They make small decisions that eventually add up to a big decision.” Explain the logic behind this statement.

Q: How would you make a decision to select a building site for

How would you make a decision to select a building site for a new waste-treatment plant in the Philippines? Where would you start with this complex decision, and what steps would you take? Explain whi...

Q: Why would managers in high-velocity environments worry more about the

Why would managers in high-velocity environments worry more about the present than the future? Would an individual manager working in this type of environment be more likely to succeed with a rational...