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Managerial Decision Making • 129
CHAPTER 6
MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Are You Ready to Be a Manager?
I. Types of Decisions and Problems
A. Programmed and Nonprogrammed Decisions
B. Facing Certainty and Uncertainty
II. Decision-Making Models

A. The Ideal, Rational Model
B. How Managers Actually Make Decisions
C. The Political Model
III. Decision-Making Steps

A. Recognition of Decision Requirement
B. Diagnosis and Analysis of Causes
C. Development of Alternatives
D. Selection of Desired Alternative
E. Implementation of Chosen Alternative
F. Evaluation and Feedback
IV. Personal Decision Framework
V. Why Do Managers Make Bad Decisions?
VI. Innovative Group Decision Making

A. Start with Brainstorming
B. Engage in Rigorous Debate
C. Avoid Groupthink
D. Know When to Bail
E. Act with Speed
F. Don’t Ignore a Crisis
ANNOTATED LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, students should be able to:
1. Explain why decision making is an important component of good management.
© 2013 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
130 • Chapter 6
Every organization grows, prospers, or fails as a result of decisions made by its managers.
Managers are often referred to as decision makers. Good decision making is a vital part of good
management. Decisions determine how the organization solves its problems, allocates resources,
and accomplishes its objectives. Decision making is not easy. It must be done amid
ever-changing factors, unclear information, and conflicting points of view. Plans and strategies
are arrived at through decision making. The better the decision making, the better the strategic
planning.
2. Discuss the difference between programmed and nonprogrammed decisions and the decision
characteristics of certainty and uncertainty.
A decision is a choice made from available alternatives. Decision making is the process of
identifying problems and opportunities and then resolving them. Decision making involves
effort both before and after the actual choice. Management decisions typically are either
programmed decisions or nonprogrammed decisions.
Programmed decisions involve situations that have occurred often enough to enable decision
rules to be developed and applied in the future. Once managers formulate decision rules,
subordinates and others can make the decision, freeing managers for other tasks.
Nonprogrammed decisions are made in response to situations that are unique, are poorly defined
and largely unstructured, and have important consequences for the organization. Many
nonprogrammed decisions involve strategic planning because uncertainty is great and decisions
are complex.
Every decision situation can be organized on a scale according to the availability of information
and the possibility of failure. The four positions on the scale are certainty, risk, uncertainty, and
ambiguity. Certainty means that all the information the decision maker needs is fully available.
However, few decisions are certain in the real world. Most contain risk or uncertainty.
Risk means that a decision has clear-cut goals and good information available, but the future
outcomes associated with each alternative are subject to chance. Uncertainty means that
managers know which goals they wish to achieve, but information about alternatives and future
events is incomplete. Ambiguity is by far the most difficult decision situation. Ambiguity
means that the goals to be achieved or the problem to be solved is unclear, alternatives are
difficult to define, and information about outcomes is unavailable.
3. Describe the ideal, rational model of decision making and the political model of decision
making.
Managers usually make decisions using the ideal, rational model or the administrative model.
The choice of model depends on the manager’s preference, whether the decision is programmed
or nonprogrammed, and the decision characteristics of risk, uncertainty, and ambiguity.
The ideal, rational model of decision making is considered to be normative, which means it
defines how a decision maker should make decisions. It does not describe how managers
actually make decisions so much as it provides guidelines on how to reach an ideal outcome for
the organization. The ideal, rational model is most valuable when applied to programmed
decisions and to decisions characterized by certainty or risk because information is available and
probabilities can be calculated. The ideal, rational model is often associated with high
performance for organizations in stable environments.
The political model of decision making is useful for making nonprogrammed decisions when
conditions are uncertain, information is limited, and managers may disagree about what goals to
pursue or what course of action to take. The political model closely resembles the real
environment in which most managers and decision makers operate. Managers often engage in
coalition building in the political model of decision making. Coalition building is the process of
forming alliances among managers. The inability of managers to build coalitions often makes it
difficult or impossible for managers to get their decisions implemented.
4. Explain the process by which managers actually make decisions in the real world.
The administrative model describes how managers actually make decisions such as those
characterized by nonprogrammed decisions, uncertainty, and ambiguity. The administrative
model is considered to be descriptive. It assumes that managers do not have the time or
resources to make the optimal decision and therefore will be satisfied with the first decision that
meets the minimal criteria. Intuition based on past practice and experience is often used in this
model to make decisions. The application of the administrative model has been associated with
high performance in unstable environments in which decisions must be made rapidly and under
more difficult conditions.
5. Identify the six steps used in managerial decision making.
Whether a decision is programmed or nonprogrammed, or the manager follows the classical or

administrative model of decision making, six steps typically are associated with effective
decision-making processes. These six steps are:
• recognition of a decision requirement;
• diagnosis and analysis of causes;
• development of alternatives;
• selection of desired alternative;
• implementation of chosen alternative; and
• evaluation and feedback.
6. Describe four personal decision styles used by managers, and explain the biases that
frequently cause managers to make bad decisions.
The directive style is used by people who prefer simple, clear-cut solutions to problems.
Managers with an analytical style like to consider complex solutions based on as much data as
they can gather. People who tend toward a conceptual style also like to consider a broad amount
of information. The behavioral style is characterized by having a deep concern for others as
individuals.
Most bad decisions are errors in judgment that originate in the human mind’s limited capacity
and in the natural biases managers display during decision making. Awareness of the following
six biases can help managers make more enlightened choices:
132 • Chapter 6
Being influenced by initial impressions. The mind often gives disproportionate weight to the
first information it receives when considering decisions. These initial impressions act as an
anchor to subsequent thoughts and judgments, leading to misguided decisions.
Justifying past decisions. People don’t like to make mistakes, so they continue to support a
flawed decision in an effort to justify or correct the past.
Seeing what you want to see. People frequently look for information that supports their existing
instinct or point of view and avoid information that contradicts it, affecting where they look for
information as well as how they interpret the information they find.
Perpetuating the status quo. Managers may base decisions on what has worked in the past and
fail to explore new options, dig for additional information, or investigate new technologies.
Being influenced by problem framing. The decision response of a manager can be influenced by
the mere wording of a problem. A single problem can be framed in vastly different ways that
can directly affect the decision choice.
Overconfidence. Before making a decision, managers have unrealistic expectations of their

ability to understand the risk and make the right choice. Overconfidence is greatest when
answering questions of moderate to extreme difficulty.
7. Identify and explain techniques for innovative group decision making.
One of the best known techniques for rapidly generating creative alternatives is brainstorming.
Brainstorming uses a face-to-face group to spontaneously suggest a broad range of alternatives
for decision making. The keys to effective brainstorming are that people can build on one
another’s ideas, all ideas are acceptable no matter how crazy they seem, and criticism and
evaluation are not allowed. The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible.
An important key to better decision making under conditions of uncertainty is to encourage a

rigorous debate of the issue at hand. Good managers recognize that constructive conflict based
on different points of view can focus a problem, clarify ideas, and stimulate creative thinking. It
can also create a broader understanding of issues and alternatives, and improve broader decision
quality. Two common ways to accomplish this are having a devil’s advocate to challenge the
group’s assumptions and assertions, and engaging in point-counterpoint by giving two subgroups
competing responsibilities.
Avoiding groupthink helps groups make better decisions. Groupthink refers to the tendency of
people in groups to suppress contrary opinions. When people slip into groupthink, the desire for
harmony outweighs concerns over decision quality. Group members emphasize maintaining
unity rather than realistically challenging problems and alternatives. Some disagreement and
conflict is much healthier than blind agreement.
Managers need to know when to bail; i.e., they must be able to discern when to pull the plug on
something that isn’t working. Escalating commitment means that organizations often continue to
invest time and money in a solution despite strong evidence that it is not appropriate to do so.
Managers might block or distort negative information because they don’t want to be responsible
for a bad decision, or might not accept that their decision is wrong.
LECTURE OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
Managers scout for problems, make decisions for solving them, and monitor the consequences to
see whether additional decisions are required. Good decision making is a vital part of good
management because decisions determine how the organization solves its problems, allocates
resources, and accomplishes its goals. The business world is full of evidence of both good and
bad decisions. For example, CEO Robert Iger is revamping Disney’s “Old Media” image with
his decision to make popular television programs from ABC and other Disney channels available
free of charge on the Web, a first in the industry. Cadillac managers ditched stuffy golf and
yachting sponsorships and instead tied in with top Hollywood movies, a decision that boosted
sales by 43 percent. On the other hand, Maytag’s decision to introduce the Neptune Drying
Center was a complete flop. Or, consider the decision of Timex managers to replace the classic
tag line, “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking,” with the bland “Life is ticking.” The desire to
modernize their company’s image led Timex managers to ditch one of the most recognizable
advertising slogans in the world in favor of a lame and rather depressing new one. Decision
making is not easy. It must be done amid ever-changing factors, unclear information, and
conflicting points of view.
Are You Ready to Be a Manager?
This questionnaire helps students better understand the ability to make decisions and gain insight
to their decision-making styles.
I. TYPES OF DECISIONS AND PROBLEMS
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A decision is a choice made from available alternatives. Decision making is the process of
identifying problems and opportunities and then resolving them. Decision making involves
effort both before and after the actual choice.
New Manager Self-Test: How Do You Make Decisions?
Most of us make decisions automatically and without realizing that people have diverse decision-
making behaviors that they bring to management positions. This exercise helps students
determine whether they use behavior typical of a new manager, behavior consistent with top
managers, or flexible and balanced behavior in making decisions.
A. Programmed and Nonprogrammed Decisions
1. Programmed decisions involve situations that have occurred often enough to enable
decision rules to be developed and applied in the future. Programmed decisions are
made in response to recurring organizational problems. Once managers formulate
decision rules, subordinates and others can make decisions freeing managers for other
tasks.
2. Nonprogrammed decisions are made in response to situations that are unique,

poorly defined, largely unstructured, and likely to have important consequences for
the organization. Nonprogrammed decisions often involve strategic planning because
uncertainty is great and decisions are complex. Decisions to build a new factory,
develop a new product or service, enter a new` geographical market, or relocate
headquarters are nonprogrammed decisions.
Discussion Question #2: Why do you think decision making is considered a fundamental part of
management effectiveness?
B. Facing Certainty and Uncertainty
Exhibit 6.1: Conditions That Affect the Possibility of Decision Failure
1. One difference between programmed and nonprogrammed decisions relates to the

degree of certainty or uncertainty that managers have in making the decision. In a
perfect world, managers have all the information necessary for making decisions. In
reality, some things are unknowable and some decisions will fail.
2. Every decision situation can be organized on a scale according to the availability of

information and the possibility of failure. The four positions on the scale are
certainty, risk, uncertainty, and ambiguity.
a. Certainty means that all the information the decision maker needs is fully
available. Few decisions are certain in the real world; most contain risk or
uncertainty.
b. Risk means a decision has clear-cut objectives and good information available,
but the future outcomes associated with each alternative are subject to chance.
Enough information is available to allow the probability of a successful outcome
for each alternative to be estimated.
c. Uncertainty means managers know which goals they wish to achieve, but
information about alternatives and future outcomes is incomplete. Factors that
may affect a decision, such as price, production costs, volume, or future interest
rates, are difficult to analyze and predict.
d. Ambiguity means that the goals to be achieved or the problem to be solved is

unclear, alternatives are difficult to define, and information about outcomes is
unavailable. A highly ambiguous situation can create what is sometimes called a
wicked decision problem, with conflicts over goals and decision alternatives,
changing circumstances, fuzzy information, and unclear linkages among decision
elements.
Discussion Question #3: Explain the difference between risk and ambiguity. How might
decision making differ for a risky versus an “ambiguous” situation?
II. DECISION-MAKING MODELS
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Benchmarking: CollegeHumor
136 • Chapter 6
According to CollegeHumor CEO Ricky Van Veen, it’s not good enough for the videos they
produce to be funny; they must be viral funny. Van Veen started the company while he was at
an Internet-company launch party. In the early days, the site was a bare-bones place for college
students to post funny stories and revealing photos. Barry Diller bought the company in 2006,
and Van Veen and his three partners changed the site to one of original videos, some of which
were episodes in an ongoing series. Today, they are creating a new kind of content that requires
video creators to decide not only what the video content will be, but also what the format will
be—three-minute shorts in five episodes or 30-minute shorts to be sold to iTunes. Ultimately,
Van Veen wants to transform the already-profitable website into a sort of mini-network, letting
the Internet be more like the airwaves and get subscribers from various social network sites.
A. The Ideal, Rational Model
1. The classical model of decision making is based on assumptions that managers

should make logical decisions that will be in the organization’s best economic
interests. The four assumptions include:
a. The decision maker operates to accomplish goals that are known and agreed upon.
b. The decision maker strives for conditions of certainty, gathering complete

information.
c. Criteria for evaluating alternatives are known.
d. The decision maker is rational and uses logic to assign values, order preferences,
evaluate alternatives, and make the decision to maximize goals.
2. The classical model is normative, defining how a decision maker should make
decisions, and providing guidelines for reaching an ideal outcome for the
organization.
3. The value of the classical model has been to help decision makers be more rational.
4. The classical model represents an “ideal” model of decision making that is often
unattainable by real people in real organizations.
5. It works best when applied to programmed decisions and to decisions characterized

by uncertainty or risk because relevant information is available and probabilities can
be calculated.
B. How Managers Actually Make Decisions
1. Bounded Rationality and Satisficing
a. The administrative model is considered to be descriptive, meaning that it

describes how managers actually make decisions rather than how they should
make them.
b. Herbert A. Simon proposed two concepts instrumental in shaping the

administrative model: bounded rationality and satisficing.
(1) Bounded rationality means people have limits, or boundaries, on the amount
of information they can process in making a decision. Because managers do
not have the time or ability to process complete information about complex
decisions, they must satisfice.
(2) Satisficing means that decision makers choose the first solution alternative
that satisfies minimal decision criteria.
c. According to the administrative model:
(1) Decision goals often are vague, conflicting, and lack consensus.
(2) Rational procedures are not always used, and when they are, they are confined
to a simplistic view of the problem that does not capture the complexity of
real events.
(3) Managers’ searches for alternatives are limited because of human,

information, and resource constraints.
(4) Most managers settle for a satisficing rather than a maximizing solution.
Spotlight on Skills: Mel Kiper and the NFL Draft
Mel Kiper may be a football draft genius and the person who pioneered the concept of a draft
expert, but it is his wife, Kim Kiper, who has turned that talent into a successful family business.
As a high school student, Mel gave reports to a Baltimore Orioles executive who told him he
should be selling the information. While Mel was in college, his father encouraged him and
helped him to start a college draft report service. After Mel and Kim married, she quit her job in
pharmaceutical sales to work with Mel, ultimately transforming Mel Kiper Enterprises into a
sprawling home business. From the beginning, he’s provided the information and she has run
the business.
2. Intuition
a. Intuition represents a quick apprehension of a decision situation based on past

experience but without conscious thought. Intuitive decision making is not
arbitrary or irrational; it is based on years of practice and hands-on experience.
b. Intuition begins with recognition; when people build a depth of experience and
knowledge in a particular area, the right decision often comes quickly and
effortlessly. Research on the validity of intuition in decision making is
138 • Chapter 6
inconclusive, suggesting that managers should take a cautious approach to it,

applying intuition only under the right circumstances and in the right way.
Discussion Question #9: Do you think intuition is a valid approach to making decisions in an
organization? Why or why not? How might intuition be combined with a rational decision
approach?
New Manager Self-Test: Making Important Decisions
Most of us make decisions automatically and without realizing that people have diverse decision-
making approaches that they bring to management positions. This exercise helps students
determine whether they primarily use a linear (logical rationality) approach or a nonlinear
(intuition) approach to make decisions.
C. The Political Model
1. This model is for nonprogrammed decisions when conditions are uncertain,

information is limited, and there is disagreement about the goals to pursue or the
action to take.
2. Managers often engage in coalition building for making complex organizational

decisions.
3. A coalition is an informal alliance among managers who support a specific goal.
4. Coalition building is the process of forming alliances among managers.
Exhibit 6.2: Characteristics of Classical, Administrative, and Political Decision-Making

Models
5. The political model closely resembles the real environment in which most managers
and decision makers operate. It begins with four basic assumptions.
a. Organizations are made up of groups with diverse interests, goals, and values.
b. Information is ambiguous and incomplete.
c. Managers do not have time, resources, or mental capacity to identify all

dimensions of the problem and process all relevant information.
d. Managers engage in the push and pull of debate to decide goals and discuss
alternatives.
6. Recent research has found rational, classical procedures to be associated with high
performance for organizations in stable environments.
7. Administrative and political decision-making procedures and intuition have been

associated with high performance in unstable environments when decisions must be
made rapidly.
Discussion Question #4: Analyze three decisions you have made over the past six months.
Which of these were programmed and which were nonprogrammed? Which model—the
classical, administrative, or political—best describes the approach you took to make each
decision?
III. DECISION-MAKING STEPS
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A. Recognition of Decision Requirement
1. Managers confront a decision requirement in the form of either a problem or an

opportunity. A problem occurs when organizational accomplishment is less than
established goals. An opportunity exists when managers see potential
accomplishments that exceed current goals.
2. Awareness of a problem or opportunity is the first step in the decision sequence and
requires surveillance of the internal and external environment for issues that merit
executive attention.
Exhibit 6.3: Six Steps in the Managerial Decision-Making Process
B. Diagnosis and Analysis of Causes
140 • Chapter 6
1. Diagnosis is the step in which managers analyze the underlying causal factors
associated with the decision situation. Studies recommend that a series of questions
be asked.
a. What is the state of disequilibrium affecting us?
b. When did it occur?
c. Where did it occur?
d. How did it occur?
e. To whom did it occur?
f. What is the urgency of the problem?
g. What is the interconnectedness of events?
h. What result came from which activity?
C. Development of Alternatives
1. The next step is to develop possible alternative solutions that will respond to the
needs of the situation and correct the underlying causes.
2. For a programmed decision, feasible alternatives are often available within the
organization’s rules and procedures.
3. Nonprogrammed decisions require developing new courses of action that will meet
the needs of the company.
D. Selection of Desired Alternative
Exhibit 6.4: Decision Alternatives with Different Levels of Risk
1. The best alternative is one in which the solution best fits the firm’s overall goals and
values and achieves the desired results using the fewest resources. The manager tries
to select the choice with the least amount of risk and uncertainty.
2. Making choices also depends on managers’ personality factors and willingness to

accept risk and uncertainty. Risk propensity is the willingness to undertake risk with
the opportunity of gaining an increased payoff.
Discussion Question #1: You are a busy partner in a legal firm, and an experienced
administrative assistant complains of continued headaches, drowsiness, dry throat, and
occasional spells of fatigue and flu. She tells you she believes air quality in the building is bad
and would like something to be done. How would you respond?
E. Implementation of Chosen Alternative
1. The implementation of a chosen alternative involves the use of managerial,

administrative, and persuasive abilities to ensure that the chosen alternative is carried
out. The success of the chosen alternative depends on whether or not it is translated
into action.
Spotlight on Skills: Motorola
When Sanjay Jha took the job as co-chief executive of Motorola, he found the company in a
mess. The pioneer of cell phones and maker of formerly hot models such as the Razr had been
struggling for years to come up with another hit. Analyzing and diagnosing what went wrong,
Jha and other executives realized that the company’s engineering talent was strong, but a
dysfunctional management culture had caused Motorola to miss the consumer shift toward
phones that do nearly everything a computer can do. They cut all the other operating systems to
focus on Google’s Android. Verizon Wireless introduced Motorola’s Droid smartphone in the
fall of 2009, and soon afterward T-Mobile began selling a Motorola phone it calls the CLIQ.
One analyst stated that their decision to focus on the Droid likely saved the company from going
out of business.
F. Evaluation and Feedback
1. In the evaluation step, decision makers gather information or feedback to determine

how well the decision was implemented and whether it achieved its goals. Feedback
is important because decision making is a continuous, never-ending process.
2. Feedback provides decision makers with information that can start a new decision
cycle. By learning from decision mistakes, managers can turn problems into
opportunities.
IV. PERSONAL DECISION FRAMEWORK
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142 • Chapter 6
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Exhibit 6.5: Personal Decision Framework
A. Personal decision style refers to differences between people with respect to how they
perceive problems and make decisions. Research has identified four major decision
styles.
1. The directive style is used by people who prefer simple, clear-cut solutions to
problems.
2. With an analytical style, managers like to consider complex solutions based on as

much data as they can gather.
3. People who tend toward a conceptual style also like to consider a broad amount of
information.
4. The behavioral style is characterized by having a deep concern for others as

individuals.
B. Most managers have a dominant decision style. The most effective managers are able to
shift among styles as needed to meet the situation.
V. WHY DO MANAGERS MAKE BAD DECISIONS?
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Even the best manager will make mistakes, but managers can increase their percentage of good
decisions by understanding some of the factors that cause people to make bad ones. Most bad
decisions are errors in judgment that originate in the human mind’s limited capacity and in the
natural biases managers display during decision making. Awareness of the following six biases
can help managers make more enlightened choices:
Being influenced by initial impressions. The mind often gives disproportionate weight to the
first information it receives when considering decisions. These initial impressions act as an
anchor to subsequent thoughts and judgments, leading to misguided decisions.
Justifying past decisions. People don’t like to make mistakes, so they continue to support a
flawed decision in an effort to justify or correct the past.
Seeing what you want to see. People frequently look for information that supports their
existing instinct or point of view and avoid information that contradicts it, affecting where
they look for information as well as how they interpret the information they find.
Perpetuating the status quo. Managers may base decisions on what has worked in the past
and fail to explore new options, dig for additional information, or investigate new
technologies.
Being influenced by emotions. Some managers let their emotions influence their decisions on
a regular basis. There is some evidence that when people make poor decisions under the
influence of strong emotions, they tend to continue to make poor decisions because it
becomes part of the mind’s blueprint for how to behave.
Overconfidence. Before making a decision, managers have unrealistic expectations of their

ability to understand the risk and make the right choice. Overconfidence is greatest when
answering questions of moderate to extreme difficulty.
Spotlight on Skills: Evidence-Based Management
Evidence-based decision making simply means a commitment to make more informed and
intelligent decisions based on the best available facts and evidence. It means being aware of our
biases and seeking and examining evidence with rigor. Managers practice evidence-based
decision making by being careful and thoughtful rather than carelessly relying on assumptions,
past experience, rules of thumb, or intuition.
Business Blooper: J. Crew
When J. Crew CEO Millard Drexler let the board know he was putting the company up for sale,
he neglected his obligation to conduct an auction of sorts, to get the highest bidder for
shareholders. Instead, he made a secret $3 billion deal with TPG and Leonard Green & Partners.
Shareholders were not impressed and took Drexler to court.
144 • Chapter 6
VI. INNOVATIVE GROUP DECISION MAKING
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A. Start with Brainstorming
1. One of the best known techniques for rapidly generating creative alternatives is
brainstorming. Brainstorming uses a face-to-face group to spontaneously suggest a
broad range of alternatives for decision making. The keys to effective brainstorming
are that people can build on one another’s ideas, all ideas are acceptable no matter
how crazy they seem, and criticism and evaluation are not allowed.
2. Electronic brainstorming, also called brainwriting, brings people together in an

interactive group over a computer network. Recent studies show that electronic
brainstorming generates about 40 percent more ideas than individual brainstorming
alone and 25 to 200 percent more than groups.
B. Engage in Rigorous Debate
1. An important key to better decision making under conditions of uncertainty is to

encourage a rigorous debate of the issue at hand. Good managers recognize that
constructive conflict based on different points of view can focus a problem, clarify
ideas, and stimulate creative thinking.
2. There are several ways to stimulate rigorous debate.
a. One way is by ensuring diversity in terms of age and gender, functional area of
expertise, hierarchical level, and experience with the business.
b. Some groups assign a devil’s advocate, who has the role of challenging the
assumptions and assertions made by the group.
c. Another approach is technique called point-counterpoint, a technique in which

two subgroups assigned competing points of view. The two groups then develop
and exchange proposals and discuss the various options until they arrive at a
common set of understandings.
Discussion Question #7: As a new, entry-level manager, how important is it to find ways to
compensate for your relative lack of experience when trying to determine which alternative
before you is most likely to succeed? What are some ways you can meet this challenge?
C. Avoid Groupthink
1. Avoiding groupthink helps groups make better decisions. Groupthink refers to the
tendency of people in groups to suppress contrary opinions. When people slip into
groupthink, the desire for harmony outweighs concerns over decision quality. Group
members emphasize maintaining unity rather than realistically challenging problems
and alternatives. Some disagreement and conflict is much healthier than blind
agreement.
D. Know When to Bail
1. Even though the new workplace encourages risk taking and learning from mistakes,
it also teaches a person to know when to pull the plug on something that isn’t
working. Escalating commitment means that organizations often continue to invest
time and money in a solution despite strong evidence that it is not appropriate to do
so. Managers might block or distort negative information because they don’t want to
be responsible for a bad decision, or might not accept that their decision is wrong.
E. Act with Speed
1. Today’s accelerated pace of business means that some decisions have to be made
incredibly fast. Decisions that could once be made over a period of weeks or even
months must now be made in hours or minutes if a company wants to keep pace with
competitors.
F. Don’t Ignore a Crisis
1. Speed is particularly crucial when an organization faces a crisis. Managers are under
tremendous pressure to get a team together quickly to assess the situation and step
forward with a response. Managers should expect and plan for crises.
Answers to Discussion Questions

1. You are a busy partner in a legal firm and an experienced administrative assistant complains
of headaches, drowsiness, dry throat, and occasional spells of fatigue and flu. She tells you
she believes air quality in the building is bad and would like something to be done. How
would you respond?
146 • Chapter 6
Students should apply the decision-making steps to solve this problem. The first step is
recognition of decision requirement. The manager must determine if there truly is a problem
with the air quality that needs to be solved. Discussions with others and, if warranted, testing the
air quality should help make this determination. If a problem does indeed exist, the next step is
the diagnosis and analysis of the causes of the poor air quality. The testing may reveal this. If
needed, further tests by experts in the field should be made to determine the cause. Once the
cause has been determined, the development of alternatives to eliminate the cause should be
developed. The selection of desired alternatives is the next step during which the risk must be
considered and the pros and cons of each alternative must be weighed. After an alternative has
been chosen, the chosen alternative should be implemented. After an appropriate time
evaluation of the alternative should be made and feedback provided.
2. Why do you think decision making is considered a fundamental part of management

effectiveness?
Decision making is especially important to effectiveness because it underlies all manager

activity. Managers are faced with limited resources, competing demands, and a continuous
stream of problems and opportunities. As a result, managers make decisions every day—and
hence are often referred to as decision makers. They make decisions about virtually every aspect
of an organization including its strategy, structure, control systems, innovations, and human
resources. They must make decisions to perform the basic functions of planning, organizing,
motivating, and controlling. Managerial decision making ultimately determines how well the
organization solves its problems, allocates resources, and accomplishes its objectives.
3. Explain the difference between risk and ambiguity. How might decision making differ for a
risky versus an “ambiguous” situation?
Risk means that the decision maker has most of the necessary information. The objectives of the
decision are clear-cut, and alternatives can be identified. However, the future outcome of each
alternative is not known for certain, although the probability of outcomes can be calculated,
which is the source of risk. Ambiguity means the almost complete absence of information
pertaining to a decision. Managers do not agree on the objectives to be achieved by the decision,
alternatives are difficult to find, and outcomes cannot be predicted.
Decision-making approaches differ considerably for each situation. For decisions under risk, a
rational, calculative approach is preferred. The managers’ responsibility is to obtain the
available information and run necessary computations in order to predict outcomes and select the
best alternative. Decisions under ambiguity are more difficult. In these cases managers do not
have sufficient information to perform computations. They must rely on personal judgment and
experience to define alternatives and to anticipate possible outcomes of each alternative. Under
ambiguity, managers have to take a chance and push ahead with decisions, even though they
have poor information and will be wrong a substantial percentage of the time.
4. Analyze three decisions you made over the past six months. Which of these were
programmed and which were nonprogrammed? Which model—the classical, administrative,
or political—best describes the approach you took to make each decision?
A programmed decision would refer to a situation that has occurred often enough so that a
student can use past experience and similar decision rules over and over again. Programmed
decisions are considered routine. A nonprogrammed decision would refer to a novel, unique,
and largely unstructured decision situation that requires a student to search for possible
alternatives and information and to make a decision that has not been made previously.
An example of a programmed decision might be where to go to lunch or where to park the car.
A nonprogrammed decision could be the choice of a major field of study, a decision that the
student may have made after taking aptitude tests and investigating a number of career choices.
Although the student may already be studying for the chosen career field, whether the decision
was correct still may not be perfectly clear.
The specific decisions students choose, and the decision-making processes they used, will
determine their answers to the last part of this question, but they should be able to explain why
they believe a particular model best describes their approach.
5. What opportunities and potential problems are posed by the formation of more than one
coalition within an organization, each one advocating a different direction or alternative?
What steps can you take as a manager to make sure that dueling coalitions result in
constructive discussion rather than dissension?
When more than one coalition forms within an organization, with each advocating a different
direction or alternative, there are significant opportunities for constructive dialogue and
enhanced decision making, but only if the coalitions are able to come together and work toward a
direction or alternative that both coalitions can support. If that does not happen, the potential
exists for serious fractures to develop among managers. The situation could devolve into
widespread backbiting and undermining of coworkers, which would lead to substantial
performance and morale problems in the organization.
If dueling coalitions develop over a single issue, relevant managers should immediately begin
working to bring the two (or more) coalitions together to work out a plan both can accept. This
may initially mean working with the coalitions individually to find common ground that can later
be emphasized in trying to work out an agreement. Once some common ground is identified, the
individual coalitions can be brought together to work out a direction or alternative that both (all)
coalitions can accept.
6. Can you think of a bad decision from your own school or work experience or from the recent
business or political news that was made in an effort to correct or justify a past decision? As
a new manager, how might you resist the urge to choose a decision alternative based on the
idea that it might correct or validate a previous decision?
Students’ descriptions of past bad decisions will obviously vary. As new managers, it will be
important for them to avoid making decisions based on the idea that they might correct or
validate previous decisions. This might be accomplished by first acknowledging that the original
decision was a mistake, which is difficult for people to do. However, once this acknowledgment
is made, managers can then move on to make decisions based on the facts at hand rather than in
an attempt to correct or validate previous decisions. Another way to avoid making this mistake
might be to have someone in the decision-making process tasked with challenging the
148 • Chapter 6
assumptions related to the current decision; i.e., to specifically raise the question of whether the
current decision is being made to justify some previous decision that was in error.
7. As a new, entry-level manager, how important is it to find ways to compensate for your
relative lack of experience when trying to determine which alternative before you is most
likely to succeed? What are some ways you can meet this challenge?
Finding ways to compensate for inexperience in decision making is critical to identifying the
alternative most likely to succeed. A new, entry-level manager who fails to do so will soon be
marginalized or even fired as a result of making too many poor decisions. Such a person simply
does not have the requisite knowledge or wisdom to sort out the complex issues involved in
many managerial decisions.
New, entry-level managers can seek advice from a variety of coworkers as part of their decision-
making process. They can also try to research the many facets of the decision at hand, including
collecting information on how such decisions have been handled in the past. One of the best
ways to meet the challenge of inexperience is to find someone in the organization who has
substantial experience in the company and the industry who is willing to serve as a mentor. A
mentor can serve as a sounding board for the new manager, offering suggestions for
improvement of an idea or explaining why the idea should be dismissed altogether. Mentors
have substantial wisdom that they can share with new managers to help them “learn the ropes”,
including learning the ropes of decision making.
8. List some possible advantages and disadvantages to using computer technology for
managerial decision making.
Advantages of using computers in making managerial decisions would be increased accuracy,

timeliness, and reliability of information to improve managerial decision making. A
disadvantage of using computers in managerial decision making is that inputting the wrong data
produces incorrect information that will be used in substantial managerial decisions.
9. Do you think intuition is a valid approach to making decisions in an organization? Why or

why not? How might intuition be combined with a rational decision approach?
Intuition or a “gut” feeling, especially where it is forthcoming from experience, can be useful in
management decision making. When time is of the essence, intuition can be a valid predictor of
decision making. Individuals can use intuition to become more creative and risk taking in
making decisions. Intuition can be combined with a rational decision-making approach to
improve decision making. A rational approach is developing a decision-making style that is
based on more complete data. This approach, when utilized, develops criteria, alternative
options, evaluation of alternatives, and attempts to improve decision making based on more
complete data. This, in turn, minimizes risks and improves decision making when combining
intuition with a rational approach.
10. What do you think is your dominant decision style? Is your style compatible with group
techniques such as brainstorming and engaging in rigorous debate? Discuss.
Students’ responses will, of course, be very different. They should, however, demonstrate an
understanding of the various decision styles.
Managers who use this style often make decisions quickly because they do not like to deal with a
lot of information and may consider only one or two alternatives. People who prefer the
directive style generally are efficient and rational and prefer to rely on existing rules or
procedures for making decisions. These students may be more comfortable with jobs in which
the work is fairly regimented and where most decisions will be programmed decisions. This
style is least likely to be compatible with group techniques.
People with an analytical style like to consider complex solutions based on as much data as they
can gather. These individuals carefully consider alternatives and often base their decisions on
objective, rational data from management control systems and other sources. They search for the
best possible decision based on the information available. These students may be more
comfortable in highly technical jobs where large volumes of data can be gathered and applied to
the decision-making process. This style is likely to be compatible with group techniques.
People who tend toward a conceptual style also like to consider a broad amount of information.
However, they are more socially oriented than those with an analytical style and like to talk to
others about the problem and possible alternatives for solving it. Managers using a conceptual
style consider many broad alternatives, rely on information from both people and systems, and
like to solve problems creatively. These students may be more comfortable in jobs that involve
many nonprogrammed decisions that require strong conceptual skills. This style is likely to be
compatible with group techniques.
The behavioral style is often the style adopted by managers having a deep concern for others as
individuals. Managers using this style like to talk to people one-on-one and understand their
feelings about the problem and the effect of a given decision upon them. People with a
behavioral style usually are concerned with the personal development of others and may make
decisions that help others achieve their goals. These students may be more comfortable in
flatter, more participative organizations where employees are heavily involved in decision
making and are empowered to generate innovative solutions. This style is most likely to be
compatible with group techniques.
TEACHING NOTES FOR LEARNING EXERCISES

Self Learning: What’s Your Personal Decision Style?
This exercise helps students determine their personal decision styles. Personal decision style
refers to differences among people with respect to how they perceive problems and make
decisions. A suggestion would be to discus the four decision-making styles: directive, analytical,
conceptual, and behavioral.
Managers who use this style often make decisions quickly because they do not like to deal with a
lot of information and may consider only one or two alternatives. People who prefer the
150 • Chapter 6
directive style generally are efficient and rational and prefer to rely on existing rules or
procedures for making decisions.
People with an analytical style like to consider complex solutions based on as much data as they
can gather. These individuals carefully consider alternatives and often base their decisions on
objective, rational data from management control systems and other sources. They search for the
best possible decision based on the information available.
People who tend toward a conceptual style also like to consider a broad amount of information.
However, they are more socially oriented than those with an analytical style and like to talk to
others about the problem and possible alternatives for solving it. Managers using a conceptual
style consider many broad alternatives, rely on information from both people and systems, and
like to solve problems creatively.
The behavioral style is often the style adopted by managers having a deep concern for others as
individuals. Managers using this style like to talk to people one-on-one and understand their
feelings about the problem and the effect of a given decision upon them. People with a
behavioral style usually are concerned with the personal development of others and may make
decisions that help others achieve their goals.
Group Learning: A New Approach to Making Decisions
Managers are typically effective at focusing on problems and diagnosing what is wrong and how
to fix it when they have to make a decision. A new approach to decision making known as
outcome-directed thinking focuses on future outcomes and possibilities rather than on the causes
of the problem.
This exercise asks students to think of problems they have in their lives at the present time and
write a brief summary of the problems, then answer four questions provided in the text. Finally,
students should share their answers to the questions in small groups.
Action Learning
Students think about two times when they made decisions, one that had a positive outcome and
one that didn’t, then complete the table provided in the Action Learning feature. Following that,
they look for the differences between the two decision-making situations and discuss what they
can learn from their past decisions about how to make decisions more effectively in the future.
TEACHING NOTE FOR ETHICAL DILEMMA

The No-Show Consultant
1. Give him a month’s notice and terminate. He’s known as a good consultant, so he probably
won’t have any trouble finding a new job, and you’ll avoid any further problems associated
with his emotional difficulties and his possible alcohol problem.
Option 1 is not the course of action to take. Alcoholism is not an uncommon disease, and it can
be treated; however, the urgency of this matter is the important factor. It is important to
recognize that Andrew can have a future with this organization if he seeks help. Acceptable
behavior is an important requirement of this job.
2. Let it slide. Missing the New York appointment is Carpenter’s first big mistake. He says he
is getting things under control and you believe he should be given a chance to get himself
back on track.
Option 2 is not desirable. Care must be taken and concerns expressed to Andrew. He is
beginning to develop a pattern of behavior. If the alcohol abuse continues, require him to attend
a treatment program or find another job. There should be an employee assistance program to
permit Andrew to get help and external counseling.
3. Let Carpenter know that you care about what he’s going through, but insist that he take a
short paid leave and get counseling to deal with his emotional difficulties and evaluate the
seriousness of his problems with alcohol. If the alcohol abuse continues, require him to
attend a treatment program or find another job.
This is probably the best course of action. Andrew needs support and help, but cannot continue
his present pattern of behavior.
CASE FOR CRITICAL ANALYSIS

A Manager’s Dilemma: Who Gets the Project?
1. Describe aspects of the political decision-making model that are evident in this case.
The political decision-making model is for nonprogrammed decisions when conditions are
uncertain, information is limited, and there is disagreement about the goals to pursue or the
action to take. Managers often engage in coalition building for making complex organizational
decisions. A coalition is an informal alliance among managers who support a specific goal.
Coalition building is the process of forming alliances among managers.
Dave definitely faces a nonprogrammed decision. CMT has never been involved in CD-ROM
production for its products before and there are no standard procedures available to follow in
making his decision. Seamus and Jeremy disagree about the primary focus for development of
the CD-ROM training, as well as the equipment and processes to be used in developing it. Both
Seamus and Jeremy approached Dave to try to get him on their respective sides before Henry
went on vacation. Finally, there has been a great deal of debate about how to proceed, to the
point that Dave believes it is getting out of hand.
2. What examples of bounded rationality can you identify in the case?
152 • Chapter 6
Bounded rationality means people have limits, or boundaries, on the amount of information they
can process in making a decision. Because managers do not have the time or ability to process
complete information about complex decisions, they must satisfice.
In this case, Dave, Seamus, and Jeremy are involved in a decision about a very complex
problem. Seamus is limited by his background in technical publications and does not have the
training and customer perspective that Jeremy has, while Jeremy does not have the technical
background that Seamus has and is limited in that way. Dave does not have the time to
thoroughly research every aspect of the problem and all the possible solutions, so he is
constrained in terms of both time and information. As a result, Dave, as the ultimate decision
maker, must satisfice by making the best decision he can given the information he has.
3. If you were Dave Peterson, what decision would you make? Explain how you arrived at this
decision.
Students who assert that Dave should give the project to Seamus probably agree that the
technical aspects of the project are most important. Those who believe Dave should give the
project to Jeremy probably agree that the presentation and pedagogy are most important.
Obviously, the best outcome would be for Dave to find a way to get Seamus and Jeremy to work
together on the project so that the technical aspects, presentation, and pedagogy all get
appropriate attention.
ON THE JOB VIDEO CASE

Plant Fantasies: Managerial Decision Making
1. Did Plant Fantasies owner Teresa Carleo follow the rational decision-making process to
launch Plant Fantasies? Explain.
According to Carleo, the decision to quit her old job and start Plant Fantasies was characterized
by whim and emotion. Her process was not consistent with the rational decision making model.
She was emotionally upset at her former employer, and she had little experience with
horticulture or operating a business. Nevertheless, she made a choice: “I just made the decision,
I just went for it,” Carleo states. In the rational decision-making process, the decision maker
strives for conditions of certainty, gathers complete information, and evaluates all known
alternatives to ensure good results.
In real management settings, however, decision making can never purely rational due to time
constraints, limited knowledge of possible alternatives, bias, and human error. In addition,
people and groups encounter decision-related problem areas like groupthink, escalating
commitment, and uncertainty. In most decision making situations, people employ bounded
rationality and end up satisficing—making a satisfactory rather than optimal decision.
Satisficing causes managers to select the first acceptable alternative that meets minimal decision
criteria, even though better alternatives may exist.
2. List an example of a programmed decision at Plant Fantasies. Identify a nonprogrammed

decision at Plant Fantasies.
A programmed decision is a decision made in any situation that has occurred often enough to
enable decision rules to be developed and applied in the future. Programmed decisions tend to
involve simple routine matters for which a manager has a familiar set of options. One
programmed decision at Plant Fantasies is the daily process of maintaining healthy plants for
clients: a maintenance manager examines plants at client location, determines if the landscape
has a healthy or unhealthy garden condition, and sends a purchase order to Teresa Carleo for new
replacement plants. This routine activity is a core function of the Plant Fantasies service.
Another example of a programmed decision is discussed when Carleo says she selects tulips for
a client that has a long history of ordering and reordering the same plants and colors.
A nonprogrammed decision is a decision made in any situation that is unique, unstructured,

unpredictable, or highly consequential. These decision situations involve complex challenges
that require creative solutions. A nonprogrammed decision at Plant Fantasies occurs whenever
Teresa Carleo has to collaborate with an outside landscape architect to install a garden. There
are many complicated and unknown factors that arise when working with an outside firm or
designer. As a result, a typical and routine garden installation may require creative thinking,
negotiation, and group consensus to get the job done.
3. How might managers at Plant Fantasies conduct the final evaluation stage of the decision-
making process when installing a new garden for a client?
Answers will vary, but maintenance teams can observe and track their progress during
installations. In addition, Teresa Carleo can conduct customer satisfaction surveys over a period
of months to ensure that clients remain satisfied with landscaping solutions. Evaluation and
feedback is an important part of the decision making process because feedback provides
managers with useful information that can precipitate a new decision cycle. If an evaluation
determines that a decision failed to meet its objectives, this information will stimulate a new
problem analysis and evaluation of alternatives.
BIZFLIX VIDEO CASE
Failure to Launch
Video Case Synopsis
Meet Tripp (Matthew McConaughey), thirty-five years old, nice car, loves sailing, and lives in a
nice house—his parents. Tripp’s attachment to his family usually annoys any woman with whom
he becomes serious. Mother Sue (Kathy Bates) and father Al (Terry Bradshaw) hire Paula (Sarah
Jessica Parker). She specializes in detaching people like Tripp from their families. The term
“failure to launch” refers to the failure to move out of the family home at an earlier age.
This fast-moving BizFlix video case begins with the sound of a bird chirping as it perches on a
tree limb. Kit (Zooey Deschanel) and Ace (Justin Bartha) have waited patiently for the bird’s
arrival. This bird has annoyed Kit for many days. Ace believes that Kit only pumped the shotgun
twice. The sequence ends after the bird leaves the house. The film continues with Kit and Ace
embracing and then cuts to a baseball game.
Understanding Management 8th Edition Daft Solutions Manual
154 • Chapter 6
Video Case Discussion Questions and Suggested Answers
1. Does “The Bird Problem” present Kit and Ace with a programmed or nonprogrammed
decision? What features of their decision problem led to your choice?
Kit and Ace face an ill-defined situation based on the speed with which it happens and their
lack of experience with such an event. The situation is largely unstructured although Ace’s
radiologist experience can help structure the problem. They collectively face a
nonprogrammed decision with important consequences—a dead or live bird.
2. Assess the degree of certainty or uncertainty that Kit and Ace face in this decision problem.
What factors set the degree of certainty or uncertainty?
Both of them face a high degree of uncertainty because of their lack of experience with “Bird
Problems.” Kit’s behavior emphasizes her uncertainty by frantically counting off three
seconds. Ace is not sure about using his CPR skills on the bird.
3. Review the earlier section describing the decision-making steps. Which of these steps appear
in “The Bird Problem?” Note the examples of each step that you see.
Each decision-making step appears in the scene. The following lists the steps and gives an
example from the film scene.
• Recognition of decision requirement: a possibly dead bird from Kit pumping the shot gun
more than twice.
• Diagnosis and analysis of causes: Kit and Ace easily see that bird has severe injuries. Ace
now wants to check its vital signs and pulse.
• Development of alternatives: only one alternative will satisfy Kit and Ace—save the bird
by resuscitating it. A second alternative, the bird’s death, is always possible.
• Selection of desired alternative: all behavior focuses on saving the bird, the desired
alternative.
• Implementation of chosen alternative: Ace’s fierce effort at bird resuscitation and Kit’s
frantic counting for three seconds shows this decision process’s implementation step.
• Evaluation and feedback: the bird’s slow breathing and cooing offers some feedback. Its
quick bite of Ace’s nose offers stronger feedback. The bird’s erratic flight in the house
and then out the door gives Kit and Ace a clear evaluation of a positive decision process.
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her out of my head.”
François leant forward to tap his pipe against the brickwork of the
fireplace.
“You must,” he said shortly. “It’s madness. This isn’t a case for
fooling. It’s marriage—and suicide. If it were marriage or suicide you
would be a wise man to choose the latter alternative,” he added
grimly.
René moved impatiently. “I know. I know. You needn’t rub it in.
But—she’s adorable. I can’t forget her.”
François regarded him patiently. “My dear fellow,” he said after a
moment, “you may think you’re in love, but do at least try to keep off
arrant nonsense. You know as well as I do that you will forget her.
That two months after you get back, she’ll be an occasional
sentimental memory, and that a year hence, you will never think of
her at all.”
René laughed shortly. “You’re a detestable brute!” he exclaimed
with the half wistful half amused smile of a spoilt child, which made
part of his charm.
“And the worst of it is, you’re always right. I don’t want to marry
her. I don’t want to marry any one. I’m not the man to marry. I’ve got
work to do. You’re quite right. I was a fool to go back.”
“And I suppose there was a love scene, and a declaration of
sorts?”
François’ voice was ironical, but there was anxiety under the light
words.
“No.” He grew suddenly grave. “She asked me to go—and I
went.”
There was a silence which lasted some minutes. The wood fire
crackled, and the lamp illumined the comfortable room with its
fifteenth-century beams overhead, its panelled walls and its red-
covered sofa and chairs.
“Anne Page is not a woman to fool with,” said François at last. He
was thinking of what she had once said, sitting in the sunshine of the
garden. “Then an artist ought to keep out of the way of any woman
who cares. But he wouldn’t if she pleased him.”
The memory of the last words touched him.
“She’s not made for that sort of thing. It’s not decent. It’s not
playing the game. Leave her alone, and she’ll forget.”
Even as he spoke, he wondered whether he spoke truth; but that
was a question to be dismissed with a mental shrug.
“I dare say she’s got nothing to forget,” returned René gloomily.
“I’ve no doubt she thinks I’m just a ridiculous young fool.”
François did not reply.
“Women are strange things,” pursued René presently. “They alter
so. Anne has grown years younger,—and years older since we first
saw her. She manages us now. Have you noticed?” He turned to the
other man with a quick smile. “She couldn’t have done that at first.
She was too shy, and—what’s the word?—diffident. And yet at first,
did she seem a woman to fall in love with? I never thought of it. I
believe we all looked upon her as an interesting creature, and
thought ourselves rather fine fellows for discovering her beauty,—
which perhaps doesn’t exist at all. She was something to paint,
something to discuss——”
“Something to teach,” added François slowly.
He glanced at the clock. “Come along! Do you see the time? And
we’ve got to start at seven to-morrow.”
He got up, and put his pipe in his pocket.
“The art of life, my dear young friend,” he remarked with
burlesque sententiousness, as he turned out the lamp, “is to manage
one’s episodes carefully. And to see that they remain episodes.”
René did not reply. He remained seated in the armchair, after the
light was out, staring at the still leaping fire.
XIV
Three days after Mrs. Burbage went away, Anne received a
telegram, summoning her at once to London. The hours spent in
travelling, and reaching the nursing-home, passed like an uneasy
nightmare, with a background of dread to be realized, and by the
time she arrived at the house in Wimpole Street, her friend was
unconscious.
She died a few minutes after Anne was admitted to her bedside.
Of the time that followed, Anne had no clear idea. She felt dazed
and uncomprehending, and when by the end of the week, she found
herself back again in the silent house at Dymfield, it was to wonder
vaguely how she had arrived, and in what a solicitor’s letter which
awaited her, could possibly concern her.
The writer, who signed himself William Chaplin, expressed his
intention of calling upon her next day, on business.
Anne received him the following afternoon, standing before the
fire in the library, very slim and tall in her black dress.
Instinctively she had taken refuge in this room, as the one place
unconnected with Mrs. Burbage; the room that held no memories of
her.
The grey-haired man who entered, shook hands with her rather
impressively, and sat down, with the remark that she was no doubt
acquainted with the contents of Mrs. Burbage’s will.
“No,” returned Anne, “except that I understood that everything
was to go to Mr. Crosby, her nephew.”
The lawyer glanced at her rather sharply.
“The last will is in your favour,” he replied. “Everything is left to
you unconditionally. This house—all my client’s property—her real
and personal estate. Everything in short.”
Anne turned a shade paler. She did not understand, but she was
aware that the little grey-haired man before her, was making what
seemed to him at least, an important announcement.
At the end of half-an-hour’s conversation, she followed him to the
door, still unable to grasp the significance of his words.
“The will, as I say, is most simple,” he remarked. “Everything is
quite straightforward, and we ought to be able to get the whole thing
through speedily. In the meantime, I congratulate you, Miss Page,”
he added dryly. “Apart from the income, Fairholme Court is a most
delightful residence.” He glanced about him. “Most delightful,” he
added.
Anne shook hands with him, and went slowly back to the library.
Dinner was served as usual by the quiet maids, whose
demeanour since the death of their mistress, had assumed an added
shade of decorous gravity.
They liked Anne, and their manner towards her expressed a
kindliness and sympathy for which she was grateful.
To-night, she scarcely noticed their solicitude, and the dishes
they set before her were taken away almost untasted.
She wandered into the library again after her lonely meal, and
began to pace the floor aimlessly.
From time to time, she took a book from one of the shelves,
opened it, glanced at a page that was meaningless, and
unconscious of her action, replaced the volume.
The dry monotonous voice of the lawyer, re-echoed in her brain.
He was saying words which signified nothing.
“Your income will amount to between four and five thousand a
year.”
Out of a mass of detail, it was only this she remembered, and at
present it conveyed nothing to her mind.
She was conscious only of a feeling of loving gratitude that her
friend had cared for her. Of what that care implied, in those first
hours she realized nothing. She could only think of her last words at
the station.
“If I get better, it will be for the pleasure of seeing you again.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered them.
Gradually the hours wore on. The servants went to bed, and the
house was silent. Mechanically Anne piled fresh logs on the fire, and
at last conscious of exhaustion from her ceaseless pacing of the
room, she sank into a chair, and held her hands to the blaze.
She was a rich woman now, the lawyer had said so.
What did that mean? With all her strength Anne tried to translate
the statement into comprehensible terms.
First of all, it surely meant freedom from anxiety. No weary heart-
breaking toil for a bare existence. No painful counting of hard-earned
shillings.
Then,—for the first time Anne felt a definite thrill of pleasure,—it
meant the power to help her brother. Hugh should be made happy if
money could compass it.
And afterwards? Well, the realization of some of her day-dreams.
She could travel. The wonderful material world need no longer be a
mirage, a prospect viewed only by the eye of faith and imagination.
She might become the possessor of many beautiful things. Pictures,
books, furniture, dress. She would have the power to help people; to
relieve misery; to do some tangible good. Money was a talisman to
unlock some of the exquisite secrets of the world.
Anne paused. Her thoughts, clear at last, and swiftly moving,
were suddenly arrested.
Her wealth might do all this, but there was one joy it could not
buy, and missing this, all the rest, all the wonders it could work,
seemed dust and ashes. Dead Sea fruit. The time for love was gone,
and it had become the one impossible, unattainable desire of her
whole being.
Missing it, she would miss the meaning of existence.
The pageant of the world might be revealed, but it would be seen
under the grey skies of common day; for ever unillumined by the light
that never was on land or sea.
Again in her heart there rose the fierce pain, the sickening hunger
she had experienced when for the first time in her life, she had seen
the eyes of happy lovers.
Swiftly in bitter mockery, her memory placed her once more in the
rose-garden, where a week ago René had kissed her hands, and
spoken to her in the shaken voice she had never heard from a man’s
lips before.
If only she had been the girl to whom he ought to have been
pleading! If only she had felt the right to say she loved him too. If
only she had been the girl she longed to be, the wisdom of the wise
would have seemed an idle song. She would have given him her
love, freely, generously, without counting the cost, and the future
might have taken care of itself.
But as it was——
Suddenly Anne rose to her feet. The colour surged up into her
face; the warm blood raced through her body. She put her trembling
fingers on the mantelpiece, to steady herself, and stood looking
down into the fire.
As it was—why not?
She felt bewildered, dazed, giddy with the thought that had come
to her, as emerging from a dark passage, one staggers in the glare
of a brilliantly lighted room. Through the dazzling incoherency of her
idea, she clung to one certainty.
If René was not in love with her as she understood love, he was
at least drawn to her as a man is drawn irresistibly to a woman. He
had been in her hands that night. She could have done as she
pleased with him.
Anne knew her power at last, and deliberately, for his sake, she
had not used it. He had gone away. He would forget, of course—
unless——Slowly she sank into her chair, and sat thinking.
She thought through all her life. She thought of the never-ending
days of childhood and youth, unlighted by any happiness, any hope;
the dreary days which had killed at last even her dreams.
She thought of Hugh and his wife in a distant colony, happy,
regardless of her, unmindful, unless she wrote to them, of her very
existence.
She thought of the heart of despair which she had brought back
to this very room six months ago, of the dumb certainty that life for
her had been, was, and ever would be, empty of all gifts, of all
delight. And then of the wonderful months that had just passed.
Wonderful, because of all she had learnt of others—and of herself.
She remembered the diffident shrinking creature, who for
shyness could scarcely lift her eyes to the men she regarded with
awe, as dwellers in another world, whether gods or devils she did not
know.
She could have smiled as she thought of them now.
They were neither gods nor devils, but weak human beings like
herself. Weaker than herself, since they were young, impressionable
clay in the hands of the potter.
And one of them loved her.
She leant forward in her chair, and covered her face with her
hands.
A week ago, it had been an obscure penniless woman who had
found courage to arrest an impending declaration of love.
To-day, the same woman,—she was rich, her own mistress,
independent, free.
With a wondering sense of the simplicity of the matter, Anne saw
herself at liberty to take a step the very existence of which, till to-
night, she had not perceived.
She sat immovable, staring into the fire, thinking. In the silence of
the sleeping house she looked at facts face to face, and made her
decision. Here was she, Anne Page, not only a rich woman and her
own mistress, but practically alone in the world. Life had hitherto
offered her nothing. Now if she had courage to take it, a great if brief
happiness was within her reach. She loved, and was beloved. Too
late, as she had thought. But was it after all too late? Again Anne
reflected while the fire upon which her unseeing eyes were fixed,
leapt and sang softly to itself. Not if she could find the further
courage to buy her happiness at a great price. To take it while it
lasted, and of her own accord relinquish it before it had ceased to be
happiness.
For as she thought and planned Anne saw clearly, as only a
woman who is leaving her youth behind, can see clearly—without
illusions, with only stern facts to guide her.
René Dampierre was young. Naturally, inevitably, sooner or later,
he would turn to youth for love, and she must not stand in his way.
But because of this, could she not even for a little while know the
joy which was every woman’s birthright?
If she were willing to pay for it, why not? Whatever happened,
whatever misery was in store, at least she paid alone. She involved
no one in her debt.
A cynic might have smiled at the simplicity of her reasoning. Not
one thought of her changed circumstances entered into her
reflections. She did not consider that Anne Page the penniless
companion was a very different being from Anne Page the lady of
great means. To her mind it only affected the situation in so far that it
gave her freedom; made it possible for her to follow her own course
without burdening man, woman, or child. It was only courage that
was necessary. Courage to stake high, and not to shrink when
sooner or later the odds should turn against her.
She measured her strength, and made her decision.
The little clock on the mantelpiece struck three, with a shrill
silvery clamour. Anne started, and glanced round the familiar room
with a shock of surprise, as though she had been long away, and
was astonished to find it there.
As she rose slowly to her feet, her reflection in the glass above
the chimney-piece also startled her.
It seemed to her that for ages she had been out of the body also.
She met absorbed blue eyes in a face pale but transfigured by an
inner excitement and a great hope.
She saw a mouth sweet and tremulous, and a tall figure; very
graceful, really beautiful; and suddenly she smiled.
“It’s not absurd. Not yet,” was the certainty that suddenly filled her
with triumphant joy.
XV
Early in November, Dampierre burst one morning into
Fontenelle’s studio. They worked in the same house in the Rue
Notre Dame des Champs, René on the top floor, François two flights
lower down.
He looked up as his friend came in.
“Yes. I know. She’s coming,” he said, without ceasing to paint.
“This background’s the very devil. It’s all wrong in tone.”
“How did you know?”
François nodded towards a side table. “There’s her note.”
Dampierre found it amongst a litter of brushes and palettes.
“Yes,” he said glancing over it, “she says the same thing to me.
She feels she wants a change, so she’s shut up the house for a time,
and she’ll stay in Paris possibly on her way elsewhere. That’s all she
tells me.”
“The old lady must have left her some money,” observed
François, still apparently engrossed with his background. “Looks as
though it’s rather more than enough to keep body and soul together,
doesn’t it?”
“Oh, do shut up, and leave that damned picture alone, and be
sympathetic!” exclaimed René, irritably.
His eyes were bright, and he laughed rather excitedly.
“I know you’re sick she’s coming. But I can’t stand your wisdom
any longer. I’m glad, do you hear? Glad. Glad. Glad! And there’s an
end of it.”
“Pardon me, but that’s just what it’s not,” returned Fontenelle.
“Very well then, it isn’t. And I don’t care. I only know I want to see
her again,—horribly. And she’ll be here to-night, thank goodness,
and I’m going to meet her at the station.”
François shrugged his shoulders, and continued to paint.
“Where’s her hotel? Oh, the Impérial. She’s got that out of
Baedeker.” He laughed.
“Come now, François. Own that sweet Anne Page in Paris will be
rather nice!”
“You’d better ask her to tea here to-morrow. Your place is even
more of a pig-sty than mine. We shall see Dacier and Thouret at the
Lilas this evening. We can ask them then.”
“All right. But I’m not going to have you about all the time mind!”
“You won’t,” returned his friend briefly. “I can’t stand fools.”
René’s face darkened for a moment, but the retort died on his
lips.
“Look here, old man,” he urged. “Don’t be a beast. I’m serious.”
“Tant pis,” was François’ implacable reply.
But when next day Anne was actually in his studio, and he heard
her voice, and saw her smile, and listened to the laughing clamour
around her, as she sat in the only armchair that was not broken, and
drank execrable tea out of a cup which did not match its saucer, it
was difficult even for Fontenelle to be anything but gay and pleased.
With an odd mixture of sensations, he noticed how fair her skin
looked against her black dress. The fur she wore on her shoulders
was also exceedingly becoming. François, who as a painter of many
women’s portraits knew something of the cost of feminine apparel,
looked at it with a certain surprise. Either the old lady had been fairly
generous, or Anne in her one day’s shopping, had been disgracefully
extravagant. In either case the result was admirable. He emerged
from his reflections to find a furious discussion raging as to which
restaurant she should be taken to dine.
“Café de la Régence,” said François authoritatively, “and
afterwards we’ll drive back to the Lilas.”
It was several days before Anne found herself alone with René.
He came to her hotel one morning, and carried her off to lunch
with him at a little restaurant in the neighbourhood of his studio.
“You have such a devoted body-guard, that I never get a word
with you,” he complained. “And I want you to see my pictures. We
must get in before the light goes. It gets so confoundedly dark in the
afternoons now.”
Later on in the great gaunt studio at the top of the pile of
buildings in the Rue Notre Dame des Champs, Anne stood before
some of the pictures which in after years were to fetch great sums
from art collectors, which were to be discussed by connoisseurs, to
be execrated, loved, praised, condemned, admired.
She did not see them. For her at the moment, they were non-
existent.
One thing only was in her mind; one idea, and that in the form of
a question.
How should she accomplish what she had come to do?
This was the first time René had deliberately sought her alone,
and in the circumstance, without malice, she divined the influence of
François Fontenelle.
He had meant to be careful. He had meant to see her only in the
presence of others, but,—she knew him so well that she could have
smiled,—to-day he had thrown prudence to the wind.
Tenderness was in his voice, in his eyes, even while he kept
tender words from his lips.
It grew dusk while she lingered. The blue of twilight filled the
windows, and a ruddy gleam from the stove lay along the floor. Anne
sat down on the couch, and René settled cushions at her back.
His hand touched her arm, and for a moment it rested there,
before he turned abruptly away.
Earlier in the day, Anne had spoken of returning to Dymfield.
“You mustn’t go yet,” he broke out all at once. “You won’t leave
Paris yet?”
The words were an appeal, and his voice was not steady.
“I came to see you,” said Anne deliberately.
He turned to her sharply. It was too dark to see his face, but she
heard the anxiety in his tone.
“All of us—or me?”
“To see you.”
He threw himself on his knees beside her. “Anne,” he whispered,
“stay. I want you. Will you marry me?”
He had taken her hands and was holding them tight against his
breast.
“No, René.”
The words were decisive, but she made no effort to release
herself, and her hands rested quietly in his.
“Sit here, beside me,” she said, moving a little on the couch. “I
want to talk to you.”
Wondering at something in her voice, he obeyed in silence, and
she went on speaking, still very quietly.
“I won’t marry you, dear, because I’m too old for you. I will never
marry you. But if you want me, I will stay.”
In his amazement, he let her hands drop, and bent forward to see
her face.
Quite quietly, Anne got up. “It’s very dark,” she said. “I’ll light the
candles. I saw where you put the matches.”
He watched her in a sort of stupor as she went to a side table for
the matches, and lighted one after another of the candles in a
sconce on the opposite side of the room.
Did she know what she had said? Had he understood her?
He sat staring at her as she reached up to the sconce, the
movement throwing into relief the lines of her beautiful figure.
When the last candle was lighted, she turned to him smiling.
“No. You haven’t misunderstood me,” she said. “Now you can see
my face you will know you have not.”
She came swiftly across the room, and sat down beside him.
“Listen, René. I will not marry you, for many reasons. Two
months ago I was prepared never to see you again. But things have
altered. I haven’t told you yet, but all my circumstances have
changed. I’m a rich woman now, and my life is my own, to do what I
like with it. And because I love you, I propose to give it to you, for a
little while at least. As long as you want me. Until——”
Her voice, quite calm and quiet at first, broke at the last words,
and she paused abruptly.
René sprang to his feet, and drew her quickly up from the sofa
into his arms.
“Anne!” he cried. “Sweet Anne Page!” the words came brokenly
between tremulous laughter. “You don’t know what you’re saying.
You will marry me, of course, because we love each other, because
——”
She put one hand on his shoulder, and so kept him at arm’s
length.
“I will never marry you,” she repeated. “If you won’t consent to let
me stay as I suggest, I shall say good-bye to you now, and I will not
see you again.
“Remember René, you’re not talking to a girl. You’re dealing with
a woman who knows her own mind, and will have this or nothing. If I
stay we both have perfect freedom. I am old enough to do what I
please with my life. And I please to do this. René,” for the first time
the colour came to her cheeks, and her eyes wavered, “you’ll make
me shy if I have to ask you so many times to let me stay.”
She looked suddenly so like a child as she spoke, that in spite of
his perplexed amazement, Dampierre smiled.
He kissed her soft hair, and then her lips. “You’re adorable,” he
murmured. “But you amazing woman, you’re an enfant terrible! What
am I to do with you?”
“Don’t you see how simple it is?” she asked. “I’m rich now, so I
can stay as long as you—as long as I please.” She altered the
pronoun hurriedly. “And you have plenty of money, too, René,
haven’t you? I mean that we are each quite independent. It makes it
all so easy.”
He laughed again as the only expression of his otherwise
inexpressible emotions.
She was as guileless, as simple as a child. Yet she was
proposing——Good God, what was she not proposing? And above
all she meant what she proposed; meant it absolutely. He looked into
her eyes, and knew that no words of his would move her.
“But Anne, Anne!” he stammered. “You’re saying awful things.
Not from my point of view, but as an Englishwoman. Mon Dieu! as an
Englishwoman with the fear of Mrs. Grundy if not the fear of God
before her eyes!”
She looked at him, and his words, which amazement and
uncertainty had made flippant, died before the sadness of her
glance.
“You don’t understand,” she said. “Nobody troubles about me.
Nobody has ever troubled. I have never been happy all my life. And
now when I could have happiness without hurting any one, why must
I give it up because of a world in which I have no concern?” She
paused a moment, and looked at him uncertainly.
“You think I ought to feel I’m doing wrong? Perhaps I ought. But I
don’t feel it, René. I should be doing wrong if I married you, because
——” She left the sentence unfinished, forbearing to tell him that he
would some day thank her for his freedom.
“Don’t argue about it,” she said, smiling, though her eyes were
full of tears. “It’s my last word. If you won’t agree, I shall go back to
Dymfield to-morrow.”
“No. Don’t let us waste time now, at any rate,” he exclaimed
eagerly. “We shall have plenty of time to talk and argue. Just now I’m
too absurdly happy!”
He drew her down beside him on the sofa, and covered her eyes
with kisses.
“Anne! do you know what a sweet thing you are? No, of course
you don’t know, and that’s what make you so delicious!”
Even while she thrilled from head to foot with an almost
unbearable happiness, Anne remembered the price at which it was
bought, and told herself that it was not too dear.
“I only know I’m happy,” she whispered. “But I’m afraid of waking
up and finding it’s a dream.”
Again and again, through the years as they passed, her own
words came back to her.
In the summer evenings at Dymfield, she thought of them. When
she travelled, they often came to her as she stood before some
picture in church or gallery. She thought of them sometimes at night,
when on some Italian terrace she sat watching the sunset.
To-day she remembered them, as she walked home through the
sunshine, and mounted the stately Spanish steps towards her
apartment on the heights.
“Twenty years ago!” She repeated the words to herself in wonder.
“It was a beautiful dream, and thank God, I never waked.”
XVI
Dr. Dakin was spending the night in town on his way to Paris.
For the previous fortnight, urged not so much by the impressive
hints concerning his duty thrown out by Mrs. Carfax, as by a curious
change in his wife’s letters to him, he had been on thorns of
impatience to join her in Paris, and bring her home.
The serious illness of a patient, an exasperating case which
always seemed on the point of mending, only to sink into another
relapse, kept him prisoner.
Not till the previous day had he considered it safe to telegraph for
the doctor he had engaged to look after his practice during his own
absence, and a still further delay had been occasioned by the
necessity of meeting this man in London to explain the peculiar
nature of the case under treatment.
Leaving his hotel in the evening, he walked westward in search of
a place to dine, meditating in a troubled fashion as he walked. His
wife had been away more than three months, and he had made no
effort to recall her. The visit, accepted ostensibly at least, partly on
the ground of her health, was in any case to have been a long one.
Then followed the plea of the cure which a certain well-known
physician had prescribed, and again her husband had agreed to her
wishes. He told himself to be patient. After his talk with Miss Page,
he had been full of hope. But it would not do to annoy Madge by
bringing her home again before she wished to come. It would be
wiser to let her tire of Paris, and then when she returned, he would
take the advice of a wise and charming woman, and perhaps there
might yet be happiness for Madge,—and for him too.
So he had waited, forcing himself to self-control through his
hourly longing for her.
At first, for many weeks, her letters were discouraging;—hurried
and indifferent. She was enjoying Paris. She felt better, or not so
well. They were the letters of a woman who writes perfunctorily, from
a sense of duty. Quite lately they had altered, and though the change
in them filled him with delight, it was joy mingled with uneasiness.
They were hysterical letters, composed of vague self-reproaches
about her selfish neglect of him, mingled with terms of endearment,
and assertions of her own unworthiness.
Fatal letters to write to a man who possessed a trace of cynicism,
or of what is commonly called knowledge of the world, but to the
simple mind of her husband, they suggested only alarming fears for
her bodily health. He must go and fetch her home immediately. Poor
little Madge! In the midst of his anxiety, he was not insensible of a
thrill of joy at the thought that from whatever cause, her heart had
turned to him.
With this thought in his mind, he again dismissed as an
impertinence, a letter he had lately read containing more than a hint
that his wife’s protracted stay in Paris was due to a certain bad
influence exercised upon her in the past.
He had never considered the matter seriously, yet as he entered
the dining-room a moment later, the whole circumstance of the letter
and its accusation, was recalled by the sight of a face he
remembered.
He had turned into a restaurant in the Haymarket, to which on
their rare visits to town, he had once taken Madge to dine.
With the sentimental idea at which he scarcely smiled, of finding
the exact place they had on that occasion occupied, he went
upstairs, and was glad to find the table in the corner disengaged. He
had given his order to the waiter, before seated at some little
distance across the room, he saw the man he recognized.
For the moment he was puzzled, then like a flash came the
memory of a dinner party at Fairholme Court six months ago, and
with it in a flood the further memory of other things he had for the
moment forgotten.
Monsieur Fontenelle apparently did not see him, but apart from
the fact that he had liked him, Dr. Dakin was quite determined to
recall their previous meeting to his consciousness.
Madge had sometimes mentioned him in letters. If he had
recently come from Paris, he would have news of her. He left his
place and crossed to his neighbour’s table, with outstretched hand.
“We met at a very pleasant little dinner at Fairholme Court, some
months ago,” he began. “My name is Dakin. I expect you’ve
forgotten it. Yours is a name one can’t forget.”
Fontenelle gave him a hasty glance; then took the hand he
offered, with a charming smile.
“But of course! When Miss Page was our hostess. Have you
heard from her lately? I am told she is coming back.”
“Won’t you come to my table, as we have neither of us begun to
feed?” suggested Dr. Dakin. “It’s quieter there. Out of the draught.”
“Delighted!” François assured him.
The change was effected.
“I can give you the latest news of your wife,” he said almost
before he was seated. “I saw her only yesterday. I called in fact to
make my farewells.”
“How is she?” inquired the doctor anxiously. It was the one
question that concerned him.
“Not altogether well, I fancy. A little homesick. Paris possibly a
little on her nerves.”
He took up the wine list. “Can we agree as to wine?”
The doctor made a hasty gesture. “Anything you like. I’m on my
way to bring her home,” he observed.
Fontenelle, who was giving the waiter elaborate directions about
warming the Burgundy he had selected, did not at once reply.
When the man had hurried off with a Bien Monsieur! he looked at
his companion.
“You are going to fetch her you say? Good! I think all she wants is
the rest and quiet of your charming village. Paris is not the place for
nervous women, doctor. The atmosphere is too exciting—too
distracting.” He made a little comprehensive gesture with both
hands.
“But you don’t think she’s ill?”
In spite of himself, in spite of his British horror of displaying
emotion, the doctor’s voice shook a little.
“Mais non! Mais non. Rien de tout,” returned his companion, with
a reassuring smile. “Madame is suffering a little from her ‘cure.’ That
is only to be expected. Pardon!” he laughed genially. “For the
moment I forgot I was not speaking to a layman.”
The doctor laughed also, and tried to forget that the mere
mention of his wife’s name had set his heart beating.
He applied himself to his dinner.
“Did I understand that you’re going to leave Paris for long?” he
asked. “I think you said you had been to say good-bye to Madge—to
my wife?”
“I’m really uncertain,” returned François, regarding him with keen
smiling eyes. “I’m over here on business connected with the
exhibition to which your countrymen with more politeness than
discretion have elected me President. After that?” He shrugged his
shoulders with a characteristic gesture. “I don’t know. A journey to
Egypt, perhaps. But that depends on circumstances. Did I tell you
that Miss Page is coming home? She may even be in Paris by this
time. Mrs. Dakin is evidently looking forward to seeing her.”
For a moment the doctor was silent.
“Miss Page is an old friend of yours—a great friend?” he asked
suddenly.
“I think I may say my best and dearest friend.”
At the mention of Anne’s name an imperceptible change crept
into his manner. An undercurrent of irony, too subtle for his
companion’s apprehension, vanished from his voice and from his
words, which were grave and deliberate.
“I might with truth repeat what you have said,” returned the doctor
slowly.
He took up his knife and fork, and absently replaced them on his
plate, into which he stared, as though lost in thought.
“And so,” said François, watching him, “you are naturally
indignant about a certain story——”
The other man looked up quickly.
“I know all about it,” Fontenelle went on. “Madame Didier, who
belongs to a certain feminine type indigenous to every country, has
worked with great industry, and Fortune has favoured her. During her
visit to England, she came across a certain Mrs. Crosby, the wife of
old Mrs. Burbage’s nephew.”
He paused, and critically tasted the wine which the waiter had
just poured into his glass.
“Bon!” he exclaimed appreciatively.
“This woman,” he continued, “convinced that her husband’s
inheritance was stolen from him by our friend, naturally paints her in
the glaring colours of an adventuress.”
Both men smiled.
“The character suits Anne Page, doesn’t it? At any rate it suited
Madame Didier, who with unfailing resource has patiently unearthed
the story of twenty years ago. This story, I understand, she has lost
no time in communicating to the wife of the vicar of your idyllic
village, whence having reached the fountain head, I imagine it is
flowing in refreshing streams through the entire county?”
“No,” returned the doctor quickly. “The vicar, whatever qualities
he may lack, happens to be a gentleman, and is moreover one of
Miss Page’s many friends. Fortunately this woman, Madame Didier,
wrote to him, not to Mrs. Carfax, and as the letter to some extent
concerned my wife, he brought it to me.”
Fontenelle gently raised his eyebrows, but refrained from
comment.
“The vicar,” Dr. Dakin went on with a half smile, “is filled with
righteous indignation about what he naturally believes an impudent
lie. He has written to his correspondent, threatening pains and
penalties if she communicates with his wife, or tries in any way to
spread the scandal. He’s a wise man,” he added dryly. “Mrs. Carfax
is not the woman to be trusted with the reputation of her dearest
friends.”
There was a moment’s silence.
“I didn’t tell him,” continued the doctor, “that I had previously
heard the story from my wife, who assures me it is true.”
François’s expression was inscrutable.
“And—pardon me—you, I imagine, regard the matter as, well let
us say as an Englishman?”

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MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING

II. Decision-Making Models

III. Decision-Making Steps

IV. Personal Decision Framework

V. Why Do Managers Make Bad Decisions?

VI. Innovative Group Decision Making

ANNOTATED LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Explain why decision making is an important component of good management.

5. Identify the six steps used in managerial decision making.

Whether a decision is programmed or nonprogrammed, or the manager follows the classical or

Overconfidence. Before making a decision, managers have unrealistic expectations of their

7. Identify and explain techniques for innovative group decision making.

An important key to better decision making under conditions of uncertainty is to encourage a

Are You Ready to Be a Manager?

I. TYPES OF DECISIONS AND PROBLEMS

New Manager Self-Test: How Do You Make Decisions?

A. Programmed and Nonprogrammed Decisions

2. Nonprogrammed decisions are made in response to situations that are unique,

B. Facing Certainty and Uncertainty

Exhibit 6.1: Conditions That Affect the Possibility of Decision Failure

1. One difference between programmed and nonprogrammed decisions relates to the

2. Every decision situation can be organized on a scale according to the availability of

d. Ambiguity means that the goals to be achieved or the problem to be solved is

II. DECISION-MAKING MODELS

A. The Ideal, Rational Model

1. The classical model of decision making is based on assumptions that managers

b. The decision maker strives for conditions of certainty, gathering complete

c. Criteria for evaluating alternatives are known.

5. It works best when applied to programmed decisions and to decisions characterized

B. How Managers Actually Make Decisions

1. Bounded Rationality and Satisficing

a. The administrative model is considered to be descriptive, meaning that it

b. Herbert A. Simon proposed two concepts instrumental in shaping the

c. According to the administrative model:

(3) Managers’ searches for alternatives are limited because of human,

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a. Intuition represents a quick apprehension of a decision situation based on past

inconclusive, suggesting that managers should take a cautious approach to it,

New Manager Self-Test: Making Important Decisions

C. The Political Model

1. This model is for nonprogrammed decisions when conditions are uncertain,

2. Managers often engage in coalition building for making complex organizational

3. A coalition is an informal alliance among managers who support a specific goal.

4. Coalition building is the process of forming alliances among managers.

Exhibit 6.2: Characteristics of Classical, Administrative, and Political Decision-Making

b. Information is ambiguous and incomplete.

c. Managers do not have time, resources, or mental capacity to identify all

7. Administrative and political decision-making procedures and intuition have been

III. DECISION-MAKING STEPS

A. Recognition of Decision Requirement