
Extendable Rationality
Understanding Decision Making in Organizations
Davide Secchi(Author)
Springer (Publisher)
Published on 1. December 2012
Book
Paperback/Softback
XIX, 161 pages
978-1-4614-2717-9 (ISBN)
Description
"How do people make decisions in organizations?" is the question at the core of this book. Do people act rationally? Under what conditions can information and knowledge be shared to improve decision making? Davide Secchi applies concepts and theories from cognitive science, organizational behavior, and social psychology to explore the dynamics of decision making. In particular, he integrates "bounded rationality" (people are only partly rational; they have (a) limited computational capabilities and (b) limited access to information) and "distributed cognition" (knowledge is not confined to an individual, but is distributed across the members of a group) to build upon the pioneering work of Herbert Simon (1916-2001) on rational decision making and contribute fresh insights.
This book is divided into two parts. The first part (Chapters 2 to 5) explores how recent studies on biases, prospect theory, heuristics, and emotions provide the so-called "map" of bounded rationality. The second part (Chapter 6 to 8) presents the idea of extendable rationality. In this section, Secchi identifies the limitations of bounded rationality and focuses more heavily on socially-based decision processes and the role of "docility" in teaching, managing, and executing decisions in organizations. The practical implications extend broadly to issues relating to change and innovation, as organizations adapt to evolving market conditions, implementing new systems, and effectively managing limited resources. The final chapter outlines an agenda for future research to help understand the decision making characteristics and capabilities of an organization.
More details
Series
Edition
2011 ed.
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Research
Illustrations
XIX, 161 p.
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
289 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4614-2717-9 (9781461427179)
DOI
10.1007/978-1-4419-7542-3
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
10/2010
1st Edition
Springer
€106.99
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Davide Secchi, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. His research interests include "distributed cognition" and its implications for management; human cognition and decision making; and social responsibility. He received his masters degrees (in venture finance and international finance) and his doctorate from the University of Pavia in Italy, and holds a BS from the University of Cagliari. He presents frequently at conferences and has published widely in scholarly journals and edited volumes, including the Journal of Business Ethics (Springer).