Exploring the Impacts of Knowledge (Re)Use and Organizational Memory on the Effectiveness of Strategic Decisions

Author(s):  
Afsoun Hatami ◽  
Robert D. Galliers

This chapter introduces the impacts of knowledge management (KM) and organizational memory (OM) on strategic decision making. Close consideration and treatment of OM as part of a KM strategy are suggested as a central issue to the effectiveness of strategic decision making. This chapter uses the modified version of McLean’s Information System (IS) Success Model by Jennex and Olfman (2002) as a lens to examine the impact of knowledge strategy and technological resources, along with the impact of individuals and members from wider organizational context on decision-making processes. These components are then analyzed within Galliers’ (2002) IS Strategy Framework of emergent and deliberate strategizing. Furthermore, this chapter highlights the intermingled approaches to organizational KM practices that are due to the contextual nature of knowledge and the human need for social interaction. Results from our exploratory and continuing longitudinal study have clearly shown the significance of culture and human-driven knowledge requirements along side the use of an ERP system as part of an OMS. The authors account for the intersubjectivity of the concept and claim that organizations relying on acquired knowledge from past experiences on average make higher-quality decisions on business strategies for better future performance.

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Said Elbanna ◽  
Ioannis C. Thanos ◽  
Vassilis M. Papadakis

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to enhance the knowledge of the antecedents of political behaviour. Whereas political behaviour in strategic decision-making (SDM) has received sustained interest in the literature, empirical examination of its antecedents has been meagre. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a constructive replication to examine the impact of three layers of context, namely, decision, firm and environment, on political behaviour. In Study 1, Greece, we gathered data on 143 strategic decisions, while in Study 2, Egypt, we collected data on 169 strategic decisions. Findings – The evidence suggests that both decision-specific and firm factors act as antecedents to political behaviour, while environmental factors do not. Practical implications – The findings support enhanced practitioner education regarding political behaviour and provide practitioners with a place from which to start by identifying the factors which might influence the occurrence of political behaviour in SDM. Originality/value – The paper fills important gaps in the existing research on the influence of context on political behaviour and delineates interesting areas for further research.


Ekonomika ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Kučinskienė ◽  
Gražina Jatuliavičienė

The paper offers a discussion about the impact of strategic position on strategic decision-making. Many transitional countries are solving the problem of criteria, their selection and evaluation for a successful competition in the global environment. The theoretical aspects of the application of analytical techniques in strategic decision-making and the ways how strategic decisions, based on these techniques, should be made by Lithuanian dairy product producers are discussed. The analysis shows that adaptability is the essential characteristic of decision making for the future of an enterprise, and up-ta-date techniques should be included into strategic thinking.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hubert Smekal ◽  
Jaroslav Benák ◽  
Monika Hanych ◽  
Ladislav Vyhnánek ◽  
Štěpán Janků

The book studies other than purely legal factors that influence the Czech Constitutional Court judges in their decision-making. The publication is inspired by foreign models of judicial decision-making and discusses their applicability in the Czech environment. More specifically, it focuses, for example, on the influence of the judge’s personality, collegiality, strategic decision-making or the impact of public opinion and the media. The book is based mainly on interviews with current constitutional judges.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-20
Author(s):  
Julie Clarke ◽  
Rachel Kirk

Within the context of housing associations as fluid third sector hybrid organisations, this article examines the dynamics of strategic decision making in relation to diversification into the market rented sector. A convergence of factors shaped an agenda for associations to engage with such commercial activity, crystallising debates about opportunities versus tensions and the remit of organisations. Qualitative research with senior housing association professionals operating in northern England illustrates the significance of external local and internal organisational contexts in making and justifying decisions; this is highlighted within an emergent typology of organisational responses. Depending on interpretation, the interplay between social and financial justifications varied, including legitimising activity within a broader social purpose. The potential for (re)interpreting parameters illustrates the importance of understanding the variety and complexity of interacting dynamics that influence the strategic decisions of third sector hybrid organisations and what they deliver at the local level.


Author(s):  
Amanda J. Baugh

Chapter 1 describes Faith in Place’s origins and development within the context of the American environmental movement and with attention to strategic decisions its leaders made to help their organization survive and ultimately flourish. Although Faith in Place originated with priorities, activities, and participants that were quite similar to numerous other environmental groups, Faith in Place’s first ten years involved a series of strategic decisions in which leaders developed measures to differentiate their work from mainstream environmentalism. Strategic decision-making led to a coalition distinct for its racial diversity.


Author(s):  
Jelena Nikolić ◽  
Dejana Zlatanović

Growing complexity and diversity of strategic decisions indicate the need for applying the appropriate holistic tools in strategic decision making. Thus, the chapter deals with the process of strategic decision making from the viewpoint of critical systems thinking, with emphasis on the role of values and context in strategic decision making. The main purpose is to show how systems thinking generally and critical systems thinking particularly can help decision makers involve different perceptions and values in the process of strategic decision making, as well as take into account context in which the strategic decisions are made. Considering the key internal and external factors affecting strategic decision making, the authors have selected three systems methodologies stemming from different paradigms: soft systems methodology as interpretive, team syntegrity as emancipatory, and organizational cybernetics as functionalist systems methodology. The way in which they can be combined, aimed at improving effectiveness of strategic decision making, has been presented.


2011 ◽  
pp. 1531-1542
Author(s):  
Zita Zoltay Paprika

Many management scholars believe that the process used to make strategic decisions affects the quality of those decisions. However, several authors have observed a lack of research on the strategic decision-making process. Empirical tests of factors that have been hypothesized to affect the way strategic decisions are made are notably absent (Fredrickson, 1985). This article reports the results of a study that attempts to assess the effects of decision-making circumstances, focusing mainly on the approaches applied and the managerial skills and capabilities the decision makers built on during concrete strategic decisionmaking procedures. The study was conducted in California between September 2005 and June 2006 and it was sponsored by a Fulbright research scholarship grant.


2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannu Kuusela ◽  
Siiri Koivumäki ◽  
Mika Yrjölä

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the use of intuition in successful merger and acquisition (M&A) decisions. M&As are strategic decisions that can create growth, open up new markets and strengthen the company’s position and competence portfolio. Strategic decisions involve, by their very nature, considerable investments and have company-wide and long-lasting implications. At the same time, the decision-makers have access to large amounts of data from various sources, but these data are often uncertain and inaccurate and entail numerous assumptions. Therefore, M&A decisions are only rational to a degree, and emotional elements, such as intuition, likely play a significant role. Design/methodology/approach Acknowledging how critically important, but also how difficult, M&As are, the authors analyzed nine instances (cases) of successful acquisitions, in which the executives believed that the role of intuition was critical. Findings The findings show that intuition in strategic decision-making emerges on three levels: individual, collective and environmental. Practical implications This paper encourages top executives to proactively acknowledge and take advantage of intuition in their strategic decision-making. It proposes a framework to help with these endeavors. Originality/value This paper contributes by highlighting that intuition is not just a factor on an individual level; it can also surface from group interactions as well as the environment. Surprisingly, all the executives interviewed spoke of the positive effects that intuition can have on acquisition decisions. This is in contrast to the dominant view that considers intuition as nonrational and even as a form of bias.


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