PhD Topic: managerial decision making - Ocerlapping Aspects of Decisions - Assignment Example

Overlaps in Organizations Overlaps in Organizations Structural overlap can spawn a number of circumstances that can create a series of decisions that affect other decisions. For example, if an organization such as Coca Cola were to merge with Pepsi, the structural form of the resultant merger would create an overlap especially during decision making. Coca Cola’s marketing manager could make a decision to change the marketing strategy that the company has been using causing Pepsi’s marketing manager to consider expanding the marketing budget probably to cater for the additional personnel that human resource managers of both companies might need to hire in order to implement the new strategy.

Another scenario that can spawn a series of decisions is one that would involve competing logics. For example, the decentralized nature of Coca Cola decision making process creates a situation where a local manager can make a decision that may clash with that of a regional manager and the one made at the headquarters. Interdependence can cause a decision in one aspect of an organization to affect decisions made in other aspects. For example, a decision by the Coca Cola human resource manager to recruit new employees will affect accounting decisions and operations department.

One of the measures that a manager would need to ensure that overlaps are identified, removed, mitigated or addressed is giving clear job descriptions. Job descriptions should articulate job activities in order to ensure no responsibilities overlap. This will also ameliorate the difficulty involved in seeking to know where a mistake started or who originated with a given decision. Introducing effective communication channels can help prevent overlaps that would result from interdependence. For example, the marketing department should consult with the human resource management as they it considers a new marketing strategy.

Competing logic can be harmonized by incorporating elements of either logic in order to come up with one synchronized approach to the issue of focus. A survey with all stakeholders can help in taking into account their diverse interests in order to make a decision representative of the felt issues of stakeholders. To an extent, overlaps can provide a positive check and balances system in organizations. There is no way of avoiding overlaps entirely and this is an element that can be utilized to ensure that there is no member of the organization exercises authority excessively.

Overlaps enable checks and balances by highlighting the boundaries of the rights and privileges of every member of the organization.