My name is Id Number. The following is a review of an article titled “Making Management Decisions: The Role of Intuition and Emotion” by Herbert A. Simon. In the article, Herbert discusses two forms of decision-making that have been neglected. He illustrates the use of intuition and interpersonal interactions by managers in the decision-making process.
The use of intuition in analysis and decision making by managers is particularly interesting, given the fact that intuitive or judgmental decision-making would be considered irrational or unreasonable by most people. According to Herbert (57), executives and other management professionals, unlike scientists, are likely to rely on intuition and judgment when making decisions, more than they are likely to rely on rational analysis of the situation. Logical decision-making involves the analysis of various options and evaluating the likely results of implementing each alternative. On the other hand, judgmental or intuitive decision-making occurs rapidly such that there is no room for analyzing the circumstances in an orderly or logical manner. Although making decisions based on intuition may appear magical or even careless, it is based on experience and the knowledge of the manager. Thus, this form of decision making does not advocate snappy managerial decisions neither does it downplay the significance of management-science aids in the process of making decisions (Herbert 58).
Research studies have shown that intuitive and logical decision-making processes take place in different hemispheres in the brain (Herbert 59). For right-handed individuals, intuition and judgment are processed in the right hemisphere while critical analysis and language use take place in the left hemisphere. The vice-versa is true for left-handed persons. Right-handed people tend to be highly analytical in making decisions while left-handed people have a tendency of being intuitive and divergent (Mintzberg 77 & 78).
According to Herbert (59), physiological research has shown that intuitive and judgmental decisions are reached at through a brain process that the decision-maker is usually not aware of consciously. This aspect can be illustrated by a master cheese player who attributes his or her good moves to intuition and good judgment. When asked to reconstruct the position of cheese pieces on a clean board after several moves, the master player can do so with an average of 24 pieces being placed correctly on the board. However, a novice player can only put six pieces in their correct positions. This shows that good intuitive decision making follows a process that can be reconstructed (though the decisions appear to be random), and that it is dependent on expertise and knowledge of the decision maker.
In one of his articles in New York Times, Isaacson (par 2) describes how Steve Jobs approaches a brainteaser. Steve unexpectedly used intuition to give several guesses instead of analyzing the complex brainteaser in a logical manner. The writer describes the imaginative decision-making by Steve Jobs as genius, “instinctive, unexpected, and at times magical” (par 3). His successful business decision relied more on intuition than the empirical analysis of data and the circumstances surrounding the decision-making process. According to Isaacson (par 3), Steve Jobs recognized intuition as a powerful tool for executive decision making; superior to conventional analytical approaches. Jobs’ intuition as a manager was founded on experiential wisdom and not on conventional knowledge and learning (Isaacson par 5). Mr. Jobs appreciated the significance of intuition in decision-making while in India. During his Indian adventure, he learned that the Indian people relied more on their intuition and judgment over their intellect. He (Jobs) acknowledged that the adoption of this form of decision-making attributed significantly to the success of his company, Apple, Inc. (Isaacson par 4).
The arguments put across by Herbert in regards to intuitive and judgmental decision-making explain Steve Jobs’ intuition-based decisions very well. According to Herbert (58), intuitive decisions usually appear illogical, careless and even magical. In his approach to the brainteaser, Mr. Jobs’ decisions are rapid and are not based on a rational process of analysis (Isaacson par 2). Additionally, Isaacson (par 3) uses the words instinctive and magical to describe Jobs’ successful and brilliant management and business decisions.
As stated by Herbert (58 & 59), effective intuitive decision-making is based on knowledge and experience; the expertise of the decision-maker is a significant contributing factor to the success of the intuitive or judgmental decision. Similarly, the success of Jobs’ executive and business decisions instinctive and judgmental) relied on the wisdom and knowledge he acquired from his experience in the business and tech world as well as his adventures in India (Isaacson par 4 & 5).
Unlike other tech and business smart icons such as Bill Gates (who use empirical analysis in making decisions), Jobs had a tendency of relying on “hunches” or “gut feeling” to make management decision (Isaacson par 2). This relates to Herbert’s (58) and Mintzberg (77 & 78) argument that some individuals (especially left-handed persons) are more likely to lean on intuitive and instinctive processes to make management decisions. However, as Mintzberg (78) states, it is advisable to combine both forms of decision-making so as to achieve effective management of organizations, businesses, and institutions.
Works Cited
Isaacson, Walter. “The Genius of Jobs.” The New York Times. Web. 29 Oct. 2011.
Herbert, A. S. (1987). Making Management Decisions: The Role of Intuition and Emotion. The Academy of Management Executive (1987-1989), 57-64.
Mintzberg, Henry. Mintzberg on Management: Inside Our Strange World of Organizations. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1989. Print
