Garbage bin

decision making
 Decision making
0 What is Decision making?
0 identifying and choosing alternative solutions
that lead to a desired state of affairs
0 It the process of examining your possibilities,
options, comparing them and choosing a
course of action.

SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU
 Types

Decision can be either programmed or non

programmed.
0 Programmed : decisions that are simple and
routine and have a pre established decision
making plan.
0 Non programmed : decisions that are new
and complicated and require thought and
creativity.

SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU
 Factors effecting decision
making
0 Perception – “know before you make.”
0 Priority – without knowing what you want there cant be
any decision made about.
0 Acceptability – accept whether its hard or easy if you
think your decision is correct.
0 Demands – make sure that no one gets hurt by your
decision.
0 Style – don’t be outdated.
0 Resources – make your way with what is available. don’t
ask for more in the region of scarcity.
0 Judgment – go on with the correct decision.

SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU
SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU
 Garbage Can Model
0 In 1972, as a NSF-SSRC post-doctoral fellow at Stanford
University, Dr. Michael D. Cohen worked with James G.
March and visiting professor Johan Olsen from the University
of Bergen.
0 Together they published the paper; A Garbage Can Model of
Organizational Choice.
0 The paper, since frequently cited, describes a model which
disconnects problems, solutions and decision makers from
each other.
0 This was a novel approach compared to traditional decision
theory.

SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU
 Garbage Can Model
Solutions
Garbage Can Model - a theory that
contends that decisions in Problems
Choice
organizations are random and opportunities
unsystematic Participants

0 Extremely organic environments

0 Pattern or flow of multiple
decisions
0 Think of the whole organization
0 Explain decision making in high
uncertainty

SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU
 Garbage Can Model
0 Three Causes
0 Problematic preferences
0 Unclear, poorly understood technology
0 Turnover

0 Streams of events instead of defined problems and

solutions
0 Problems
0 Potential solutions
0 Participants
0 Choice opportunities
SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU
 Garbage Can Theory

0 The garbage-can theory adds that an organization "is a

collection of choices looking for problems, issues and feelings
looking for decision situations in which they might be aired,
solutions looking for issues to which they might be the
answer, and decision makers looking for work".

0 Problems, solutions, participants, and choice opportunities

flow in and out of a garbage can, and which problems get
attached to solutions is largely due to chance.

SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU
Illustration of Independent Streams of Events in the
Garbage Can Model of Decision-Making

SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU
 Consequences of the
Garbage Can Model
1. Solutions may be proposed even when problems
do not exist
2. Choices are made without solving problems
3. Problems may persist without being solved
4. A few problems are solved

SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU
 leaders can make a difference
in the "garbage can" by:
0 carefully timing issue creation
0 being sensitive to shifting interests and
involvement of participants
0 recognizing the status and power implications
of choice situations
0 abandoning initiatives that get hopeless
entangled with others
0 realize the planning is largely symbolic and an
excuse for interaction

SAJNA FATHIMA,SMBS,MGU