ABSTRACT
The 'decision' as 'the end of deliberations about a voluntary act resulting in the choice of an action', emerges from an experiential background that is taken for granted, while at the same time it is the necessary substrate for action. The observation of organizations, however, leads to the attenuation of the scope of the decision model, an emphasis on the influence of networks of actors, and the succession, sometimes more temporal than causal, of decisions. Understanding the decision process at the Fukushima site in the first week of the event requires comprehending the scope of such collective actions and the personal and interpersonal journey that led to them. From a naturalistic point of view, the decision model is based on four postulates: the decision maker is aware of alternatives; they can assess the consequences of each of these options; a set of values exists to guide them in the ordering of their preferences; and there is a formal decision rule.
