Decision Making in an Organizational Learning Context: a Case Study

Harnessing an idea can cause an organization to reach new levels of competency, integration and innovation. But for the idea to have relevance, decisions must be made to support whether the idea will become part of organizational learning. Data suggests that traditional rational-based models are making way for intuitive-based models to make these decisions. This book describes how one idea became institutionalized in a large information technology company. Interviews, company documents and journal entries reveal the decision making processes that executives used in organizational learning. The study reveals: 1) Major decisions occur at four organizational levels; 2) A fabric of decisions occur continuously across all organizational levels; 3) Periods of idea divergence and convergence; 4) Intuitive and rational decision making activities; 5) Congruence between individual and group decision making; 6) A safe place for exchange of ideas; 7) Critical reflection potentially driving stated decision making model. The book is insightful for people involved in transformational leadership, change management, organizational learning, innovation and executive decision making.