ABSTRACT
In this chapter, organizations are viewed as systems for making decisions. The major concern is with the process by which organizations select alternative courses of action. An eclectic approach to the topic is used, and the discussion ranges broadly over the theoretical and empirical work of economists, sociologists, psychologists, and political scientists who have studied the decision-making process in individuals and organizations. Some material is also included from the study of decision making in artificial systems, particularly from the research in artificial intelligence—the effort to program computers to perform intelligent tasks. (For additional discussion of individual problem solving, see Ch. 2.)
