ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on shifts to the executive responsible for making the project initiation decisions. To the extent that the project shaper is the individual who champions and shapes organizational perceptions of the project being considered, the decision making executive is the person whose perceptions are being most directly shaped. The degree of agency exercised by project shapers is primarily a product of position within the organization, decision making influence and personality. The chapter focuses on how to help executives responsible for project initiation decisions to perform their role more effectively. It discusses the influences of different decision making environments from the perspective of the approving executive, and examines what to consider regarding the environment as well as the importance of recognizing the influence executives themselves have in creating the environment. Making effective project initiation decisions also critically requires being aware of the information that is presented, and the unconscious biases that can influence the decision making process.
