ABSTRACT
Decision making is one of the most pervasive functions of strategic management-whether in business or in government. If an organization is to achieve its goals and objectives, decisions must be made and action programs arising from these decisions must be planned, implemented, and controlled. However, studies of complex organizations often fail to give adequate attention to the more dynamic aspects of the decision process. By concentrating on a particular aspect or phase of decision making, these studies present a somewhat static picture, even though the dynamic characteristics of the decision process often are acknowledged. In the context of strategic management, decision making should be viewed as a multistage process involving the gathering, evaluating, recombining, and disseminating of information. It is a dynamic process, within which communication binds the process together and moves it from stage to stage in response to demands for both strategic and tactical decisions.
