Many, if not most, of one's important decisions are made in the context of one's work. However, because workplace decisions cover such a broad range of issues, it often is difficult to detect underlying commonalities in how they are made, and in how things go wrong when they do go wrong. As a result, there are nearly as many different descriptions of workplace decisions as there are decisions themselves. In this volume, the best features of these diverse descriptions are unified in a new, intuitively compelling view of decision making called "Image Theory." The result is a clear picture of real-life, day-to-day workplace decision making that allows us to think constructively about how such decisions are made and about how to improve them when improvement is necessary.

Decision making plays a major role in virtually every theory of organizational behavior. However, decision theory has not provided organizational theorists with useful descriptions of how decisions are made, either by individuals or by individuals in organizations. The earliest offering came from economics in the form of the "normative" rational view of decision making. The underlying presumption was that decision makers are all striving to maximize return or minimize loss, that decisions are based upon unlimited information, and that they have the capacity to use the information efficiently. They know the options open to them and the consequences of pursuing one or another of those options. The optimal course of action is revealed by applying the appropriate analysis and choosing the most profitable option. The key concepts are rationality, analysis, orderliness, and maximization, and even a moment's thought demonstrates the gap between these concepts and real-life experience. From the viewpoint of organizational theory, the primary problem with the normative view of decision making, and by analogy with much behavioral decision research, is its reliance on the "gamble metaphor." That is, decisions are characterized as gambles in an effort to capture the inherent risk. This metaphor has the advantage of simplicity, but it is a flawed simplicity.
This book is about a different kind of behavioral theory -- image theory. It is a psychological theory of decision making that abandons the gamble metaphor and the normative logic that the metaphor supports. Instead it sees decision making as guided by the beliefs and values that the decision maker, or a community of decision makers, holds to be relevant to the decision at hand. These beliefs and values dictate the goals of the decision. The point is to craft a course of action that will achieve these goals without interfering with the pursuit of other goals. The book begins with an overview of image theory that outlines the basic concepts of the theory and a little of its history. The next two parts correspond to the theory's two decision mechanisms, the compatibility test and the profitability test. The final section contains extensions and developments of the theory as well as cognate ideas that have their basis in the theory. This book's purpose is to provide -- in one place -- the theoretical and empirical work that has been done up to now and to suggest directions for future work.

Many, if not most, of one's important decisions are made in the context of one's work. However, because workplace decisions cover such a broad range of issues, it often is difficult to detect underlying commonalities in how they are made, and in how things go wrong when they do go wrong. As a result, there are nearly as many different descriptions of workplace decisions as there are decisions themselves. In this volume, the best features of these diverse descriptions are unified in a new, intuitively compelling view of decision making called "Image Theory." The result is a clear picture of real-life, day-to-day workplace decision making that allows us to think constructively about how such decisions are made and about how to improve them when improvement is necessary.

First published in 1986. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor and Francis, an informa company.

Most books on leadership and organizational change focus on descriptive theory and research, simplistic and questionable gimmicks, or biographical sketches of successful leaders whose character and exploits students are encouraged to emulate. Leadership and the Art of Change avoids pedantry, gimmicks, and hero worship while addressing the complex issues involved in trying to lead an organization. It does not bury the reader in abstractions, nor does it offer quick fixes. Leadership and the Art of Change is a unique book in that it focuses on a leader's central and most daunting task-achieving organizational change that successfully addresses external and internal threats and opportunities. Author Lee R. Beach uses six prime responsibilities as the framework for discussing change leadership: external and internal environmental assessment to identify required changes, organizational culture as a constraint on change, vision for motivating change; plans as a map for change, implementation to produce change, and follow-through for institutionalizing achieved changes and making ongoing change a part of the culture. Key Features: Defines leadership as the art of producing changes in an organization's environment, its culture, and its practices in pursuit of survival and prosperity Explains the importance of organizational culture as the key to facilitating or inhibiting change Examines methods for building a vision and leveraging culture in order to move the organization toward the vision with implementation strategies Offers self-summary exercises as well as a new episode of an ongoing vignette in each chapter that helps readers understand the issues under consideration Includes appendices that provide students with hands-on tools to do marketing research, survey an organization's culture, and perform decision analyses Written in a conversational manner, Leadership and the Art of Change is an engaging textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying management in a variety of programs including Business, Public Administration, Health Care Management, and Social Work. It will also be of interest to professional managers looking for a unique perspective on organizational change.

Most books on leadership and organizational change focus on descriptive theory and research, simplistic and questionable gimmicks, or biographical sketches of successful leaders whose character and exploits students are encouraged to emulate. Leadership and the Art of Change avoids pedantry, gimmicks, and hero worship while addressing the complex issues involved in trying to lead an organization. It does not bury the reader in abstractions, nor does it offer quick fixes. Leadership and the Art of Change is a unique book in that it focuses on a leader's central and most daunting task-achieving organizational change that successfully addresses external and internal threats and opportunities. Author Lee R. Beach uses six prime responsibilities as the framework for discussing change leadership: external and internal environmental assessment to identify required changes, organizational culture as a constraint on change, vision for motivating change; plans as a map for change, implementation to produce change, and follow-through for institutionalizing achieved changes and making ongoing change a part of the culture. Key Features: Defines leadership as the art of producing changes in an organization's environment, its culture, and its practices in pursuit of survival and prosperity Explains the importance of organizational culture as the key to facilitating or inhibiting change Examines methods for building a vision and leveraging culture in order to move the organization toward the vision with implementation strategies Offers self-summary exercises as well as a new episode of an ongoing vignette in each chapter that helps readers understand the issues under consideration Includes appendices that provide students with hands-on tools to do marketing research, survey an organization's culture, and perform decision analyses Written in a conversational manner, Leadership and the Art of Change is an engaging textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students studying management in a variety of programs including Business, Public Administration, Health Care Management, and Social Work. It will also be of interest to professional managers looking for a unique perspective on organizational change.

The Psychology of Decision Making provides an overview of decision making as it relates to management, organizational behavior issues, and research. This engaging book examines the way individuals make decisions as well as how they form judgments privately and in the context of the organization. It also discusses the interplay of group and institutional dynamics and their effects upon the decisions made within and on the behalf of organizations. Researchers and advanced students in the field of organization science, social, and industrial psychology who want a better understanding of how the field has developed as a scholarly discipline and of the processes involved in decision making will find this an excellent resource. The Second Edition has been entirely revised and updated to reflect recent research and changing perspectives with the help of new co-author Terry Connolly, Finova Professor of Management and Policy at the University of Arizona. New to the Second Edition are: Latest developments in the field building on Prospect Theory Current research on Behavioral Theory Innovative suggestions by research scholars on subjects for new theoretical models

The Psychology of Decision Making provides an overview of decision making as it relates to management, organizational behavior issues, and research. This engaging book examines the way individuals make decisions as well as how they form judgments privately and in the context of the organization. It also discusses the interplay of group and institutional dynamics and their effects upon the decisions made within and on the behalf of organizations. Researchers and advanced students in the field of organization science, social, and industrial psychology who want a better understanding of how the field has developed as a scholarly discipline and of the processes involved in decision making will find this an excellent resource. The Second Edition has been entirely revised and updated to reflect recent research and changing perspectives with the help of new co-author Terry Connolly, Finova Professor of Management and Policy at the University of Arizona. New to the Second Edition are: Latest developments in the field building on Prospect Theory Current research on Behavioral Theory Innovative suggestions by research scholars on subjects for new theoretical models