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Behavioral Decision Making

Vak
2010-2011

Decision making appears to be a critical determinant of organizational effectiveness whether we are discussing a football team, an army, a street gang or a multinational corporation. In this course we will highlight the critical roles of power, conflicts and relationships for successful decision making in organizations. The course is designed according to four main parts:

  • The challenges of power and influence in organizations

  • The nature of relationships and social networks

  • The critical role of decision making

  • Conflict Management and Negotiation

Description

Decision making appears to be a critical determinant of organizational effectiveness whether we are discussing a football team, an army, a street gang or a multinational corporation. In this course we will highlight the critical roles of power, conflicts and relationships for successful decision making in organizations. The course is designed according to four main parts:

  1. The challenges of power and influence in organizations
  2. The nature of relationships and social networks
  3. The critical role of decision making
  4. Conflict Management and Negotiation Method

The course consists of weekly lectures (one session of 3 hours). The lectures are dynamic and participative including:

  • Theory presentations and interactive lectures by the staff and students;

  • Individual and group exercise work;

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, students are expected to competently:

  • understand the contingent nature of decision making: being able to identify what forms of decision making fit with which organizational contexts

  • analyze organizations as networks of semi-autonomous actors with different agendas

  • analyze the consequences of conflict for organizational dynamics

  • understand the apparent difference between the concepts of leadership and management

  • understand the bases of power and the role of followers in creating and supporting leaders

  • understand the concept of negotiation;