Decision analysis in organisations: case studies of client-analyst relationships

• Main Author: Bond, Stephen
• Published: London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London) 1999
• Subjects: 302.3
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.488484

Traditionally, research in the decision analysis community has focused on psychological impediments to rational decision making, leading to the development of tools and techniques for decision analysts to help their 'deficient' clients. Although this traditional research framework has led to sophisticated tools and many successful applications, it has also contributed to a fragmented decision analysis community residing in three distinct 'schools' and a current focus on trying to understand the pitfalls of application. This thesis describes a new research framework which arose out of exploring six case studies covering a wide degree of success in applying decision analysis The new framework views the application of decision analysis as a joint intervention into organisational. decision making processes by clients and consultants, and success is achieved when the joint intervention is appropriately designed and implemented to meet both social and technical needs within the organisation. This research concludes that successful institutionalisation of decision analysis requires (1) an early intention to do so, (2) a defined product/process to be institutionalised, (3) a stable home for the product/process, and (4) senior management supporting decision analysis as a value adding process for the organisation and for internal practitioners. It also reveals two further sets of conditions whereby highly successful interventions occur, firstly with a champion and consultant operating as leader-follower on a long term high level organisational change process, and secondly by providing a high level umbrella support for managers to choose to use decision analysis if they wish as part of a process of delegating authority. Finally, this research explores the different schools of decision analysis and concludes that primarily the schools have formed to meet different social and technical needs within an organisation. With a view to increasing understanding for both decision analysts and clients, I offer a new research agenda to further explore the organisational engagement of decision analysis.