Affective states and ecological rationality in entrepreneurial decision making

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 1182-1197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oana Catalina Fodor ◽  
Petru Lucian Curşeu ◽  
Alina Maria Fleştea
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Ecological Rationality ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Initial Support ◽  
Entrepreneurial Decision ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of affective appraisal dimensions on the use of two ecologically rational, social heuristics: imitate the majority (IMH) and imitate the best (IBH) during an entrepreneurial strategic decision-making process (ESDM). Design/methodology/approach The authors test the hypotheses in a controlled field experiment, on a final sample of 98 entrepreneurs. Findings The study shows that entrepreneurs experiencing affect described by certainty appraisal display a preference for relying on IMH, but not on IBH. Moreover, entrepreneurs who experience unpleasant affect tend to rely more on IMH, rather than IBH. The reverse is true for the entrepreneurs who experience positive affect. Finally, the use of IMH is most likely under unpleasant and certain affect, while the use of IBH is most likely under pleasant and certain affect. Originality/value The main contribution of this study is that it provides initial support for the impact of affective appraisal dimensions on the use of ecologically rational heuristics (i.e. heuristics that save important resources, but bring beneficial results) during an ESDM process.

Bayesian analysis in entrepreneurship decision-making research

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 972-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franz T. Lohrke ◽  
Charles M. Carson ◽  
Archie Lockamy
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Bayesian Analysis ◽  
Bayesian Methods ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Entrepreneurship Research ◽  
Entrepreneurial Decision ◽  
The Impact ◽  
High Uncertainty ◽  
Leading Journals

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review Bayesian analysis in recent entrepreneurship research to assess how scholars have employed these methods to study the entrepreneurship process. Researchers in other business fields (e.g. management science, marketing, and finance) have increasingly employed Bayesian methods to study issues like decision making. To date, however, Bayesian methods have seen only limited use in entrepreneurship research. Design/methodology/approach After providing a general overview of Bayesian methods, this study examines how extant entrepreneurship research published in leading journals has employed Bayesian analysis and highlights topics these studies have investigated most frequently. It next reviews topics that scholars from other business disciplines have investigated using these methods, focusing on issues related to decision making, in particular. Findings Only seven articles published in leading management and entrepreneurship journals between 2000 and 2016 employed or discussed Bayesian methods in depth when studying the entrepreneurship process. In addition, some of these studies were conceptual. Research limitations/implications This review suggests that Bayesian methods may provide another important tool for researchers to employ when studying decision making in high uncertainty situations or the impact of entrepreneurial experience on decision making over time. Originality/value This review demonstrates that Bayesian analysis may be particularly appropriate for entrepreneurship research. By employing these methods, scholars may gain additional insights into entrepreneurial phenomenon by allowing researchers to examine entrepreneurial decision making. Through this review and these recommendations, this study hopes to encourage greater Bayesian analysis usage in future entrepreneurship research.

Understanding how the contextual variables influence political behaviour in strategic decision-making

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Said Elbanna ◽  
Ioannis C. Thanos ◽  
Vassilis M. Papadakis
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Strategic Decision Making ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Political Behaviour ◽  
Practitioner Education ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

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.

scholarly journals Women on corporate boards and allocation of capital raised through IPOs

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 547-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bazeet Olayemi Badru ◽  
Nurwati A. Ahmad-Zaluki ◽  
Wan Nordin Wan-Hussin
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Capital Allocation ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Investment Opportunities ◽  
Women On Corporate Boards ◽  
The Impact ◽  
A Company

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the differences in men and women, such as risk aversion in decision making, can influence the amount of capital that the board of directors can allocate for investment opportunities. Design/methodology/approach This study sampled 212 IPOs over the period of 2005–2015 and employed the OLS and the quantile regression techniques to examine the impact of female directors on capital allocation. Findings The results show that women on corporate boards have a positive influence on the amount of capital an IPO company can allocate for investment opportunities. These findings suggest that the investment strategies of women in an emerging financial market, like Malaysia, may differ from women in other financial markets. Practical implications The presence of women on corporate boards plays an important role in board involvement in a company’s strategic decision at the time of the IPO. Therefore, regulators and IPO issuers should pay close attention to the corporate governance structure of a company at the time of an IPO. In addition, investors and other stakeholders of a company may consider women on corporate boards as an important factor in financing and investment decisions. Originality/value Despite several studies that have examined the influence of women on corporate boards on corporate outcomes, globally, the presence of women on corporate boards and their influence on corporate decision-making related to allocation of capital to investment opportunities, have not been fully explored in the IPO literature.

Strategic implications of HR role management in a dynamic environment

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Sheehan ◽  
Helen De Cieri ◽  
Brian Cooper ◽  
Tracey Shea
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Role Conflict ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Strategic Decision Making ◽  
Role Overload ◽  
Environmental Dynamism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hr Role ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Role Management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the impact of human resource (HR) role overload and HR role conflict on the HR function’s involvement in strategic decision making and to examine whether conditions of environmental dynamism moderate the impact of HR role conflict and HR role overload in that relationship. Design/methodology/approach – The authors collected data from two sources, senior HR and top management team (TMT) executives. A total of 180 HR executives and 109 TMT members completed the survey. In all, 102 organisations were included in the sample with matched HR executive and TMT responses. Findings – Results did not support hypothesised negative relationships between HR role management and involvement in strategic decision making but did establish the moderating effect of environmental dynamism, such that these associations were more negative at higher levels of dynamism. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional nature of the study precludes making inferences about causality and would need to be replicated with a longitudinal design before stronger inferences could be drawn with regard to the relationships between the variables. A strength of the study however is the use of two sources of data to address the issue of common method variance. Practical implications – The research has implications for the potential value that HR provides in dynamic environments and the risk that HR role conflict and overload pose to the contribution that HR can make during these periods. Originality/value – The research shifts the focus away from the definition of HR roles to considering how these roles are enacted and kept in balance.

scholarly journals The impact of mood on decision-making process

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 242-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Gear ◽  
Hong Shi ◽  
Barry J. Davies ◽  
Nagah Abdlelaziz Fets
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Relational Factors ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze relationships between contextual factors, and micro-cognitive, emotional and relational factors, influencing the strategic decision-making process. Design/methodology/approach The relative roles of “rationality,” “intuition” and “political behavior” in five recent and critical strategic decisions have been explored using 16 semi-structured interviews with senior decision-makers in three Middle Eastern Arabic commercial banks. Findings Context specific macro-factors were found to influence the emotional state of strategists, leading them to adopt a rational approach, rather than use intuitive judgment, to making all five decisions. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to one contextual situation and business sector in order to maintain these variables relatively constant, with proposals for extending studies to other business situations and contexts. Practical implications The paper provides evidence for the impact of micro emotional and relational factors on decision-making practice, which should lead to increased recognition for strategists, and organizations, of the importance of these influences on strategic decision practice. Social implications A social implication is that organizations should build a level of awareness of the impact of the mood of strategists who are involved with strategic decisions, perhaps through appropriately designed social processes of organizational learning. Originality/value The paper examines the little-researched influence of the mood of strategists on the nature of decision-making process, and demonstrates the importance of including emotional factors in future studies. An explanatory framework is developed which is consistent with an interpretation that places the emotional state (mood) of “concerned attention” which existed within the senior management groups as the dominant factor driving the nature of process. A generalized research framework is proposed to aid future studies of strategic processes.

Organizational adoption of 3D printing technology: a semisystematic literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Desiree Valeria Ukobitz
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
3D Printing ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Managerial Decision ◽  
Organizational Adoption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThree-dimensional (3D) printing (3DP) offers a promising value proposition across multiple manufacturing industries. Despite the variety of production benefits the technology entails, its rate of adoption is still low compared to industry forecasts. In face of this challenge, industry as well as academia requires more information and guidance. This review aims to examine the characteristics of the existing body of research on the organizational adoption of 3DP as well as its underlying theoretical concepts. The most common criteria driving adoption will be derived, such as to facilitate the managerial decision-making process. Pathways for future research will be presented.Design/methodology/approachThis study underlies a bibliometric literature review and additionally applies content analysis to systematically investigate the existing body of research and group decision criteria along the four major pillars of strategic decision-making.FindingsThe contributions of this paper are threefold. First, the bibliometric analysis reveals interesting aspects of the existing body of research. The most prominent characteristics of the contemporary literature are reflected along descriptive indicators, such as industry, method, model, origin, research outlet or adoption drivers, thus granting relevant insights into academia and practice. Second, the most notable adoption models are carefully analyzed on their inherent attributes and their application fit for the context of organizational 3DP adoption. Findings, for instance, revealed the dominance of diffusion of innovation (DOI) across the existing body of research and divulge that this construct is generally applied in combination with user-centered decision frameworks to yield more precise results. Third, an ample range of opportunities for future research are detected and thoroughly explained. Among others, the authors identified a clear lack of information on the impact environmental variables and contingency factors exerted on the organizational adoption of 3DP. Guidance in relation to the sourcing of industry data, usage of adoption frameworks and avenues for future scientific projects is supplied.Originality/valueThis study represents the first semi-systematic literature review on the organizational adoption of 3DP. Thus, it not only offers a valuable evaluation guide for potential adopters but also determines a future research agenda.

Strategists who look to both past and future

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 24-26
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Strategic Decision Making ◽  
Scenario Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Scenario Approach

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Strategic decision-making involves sound scenario-based reasoning. This article acknowledges that intuitive logic (IL) is the most widely used approach to scenario development before considering briefly other approaches. The researchers’ own method with its “prospective hindsight” is the strategy scenario approach. This aims to take and build on the best from existing approaches, complementing rather than replacing entirely. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

scholarly journals Utilizing a time-to-shelf study to start a conversation on change

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-33
Author(s):  
Sally Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Workflow Analysis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Evidence Based Decision Making

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show the value of benchmarking organizational performance in order to enable conversations about workflow analysis and potential changes. Design/methodology/approach – Data from a time-to-shelf study are compared to literature describing similar studies at other academic libraries which enable the decision-making process for a new workflow. Findings – The results of a time-to-shelf study necessitated a change in workflow. This paper examines how the data enabled staff to agree to changes and supported the decision-making process. Originality/value – This paper examines the impact of evidence-based decision making on the performance and workflow of a technical services department.

Entrepreneurial decision-making and family social capital

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cizhi Wang ◽  
Giulia Flamini ◽  
Kai Wang ◽  
Rong Pei ◽  
Chiyin Chen
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Chinese Family ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Social Capital ◽  
The Family ◽  
Entrepreneurial Decision ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to adopt a collective perspective in the study of entrepreneurial decision-making processes and empirically analyse the ways in which social relationships between family members can shape their collective entrepreneurial decision-making behaviour (ED).Design/methodology/approachThis paper considers the family social capital (FSC) in inducing overall conformity to the focal family member's decision to exploit an opportunity. In terms of the seminal construct of social capital, the authors propose three FSC dimensions that can be used to induce conformity: structural, relational and cognitive dimensions. Then, the authors design questionnaires to collect data pertaining to the relationships between the family members' ED and the FSC. Finally, the authors collect 152 valid questionnaires from Chinese family firms.FindingsThe data analysis consists of two parts. The first section of this paper analyses conformity by testing the discriminant validity of models. Regression analysis is then used to test the relationship between family members' ED and the FSC. Significant relationships between the cognitive dimension of FSC and the entrepreneur's decision-making are found.Originality/valueThe research contributes towards academic literature concerning both entrepreneurship and social capital. On the one hand, this paper is one of the rare pieces of entrepreneurial research that responds to the call for the study of entrepreneurship from a collective perspective. On the other hand, our study quantitatively tests the impact of FSC at a multidimensional level. It provides conclusions regarding the social influence of other family members and provides insights into social capital by studying entrepreneurship from a social/community perspective.

Unfolding irrationality: how do meaningful coincidences influence management decisions?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Cristofaro
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cognitive Errors ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cognitive Decision ◽  
Symbolic Content ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to answer the following research question: “How do meaningful coincidences influence management decisions?” This question has gained relevance mainly because of the increasing attention of scholars in explaining the irrational pressures that shape management decisions, which should be inevitably taken into account to discover the causative factors of firms’ performances. Design/methodology/approach A multiparadigm approach to theory building has been adopted, known as “metatriangulation.” This study consisted of exploring the interplay between the synchronicity concept of Jung and cognitive studies. As a result, this work proposes a conceptual framework that refers to both sensemaking and cognitive decision-making literature. Findings The framework proposes that the perceived certainty (or not) about the potential outcome for the well-being, coming from the occurrence of meaningful coincidences, elicits a set of positive (or negative) affective states. These states activate a series of cognitive errors that drive the assignment of a symbolic content to the coincidences, bringing different risk-oriented management decisions. Research limitations/implications The provided model is purely conceptual and based on the current pool of knowledge available. As much as empirical evidence will be produced, this model may need revision. This framework proposes the interpretation of meaningful coincidences not only as the output of a number of information processing biases, but also as inputs, through the elicited affect heuristic, for the occurrence of other cognitive errors that drive management decisions. Practical implications The explained influence of irrational forces on management decisions, also considering luck and chance, can be fruitful to avoid these behaviors or to intentionally adopt them in selected cases, e.g. when looking for attractive unexploited opportunities within markets. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first work that attempts to unveil the impact of meaningful coincidences and, more in general, of irrational forces on management decisions. Moreover, the provided framework explains how superstitious events are sometimes looked for to guide decision-making.

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