Brooks, Margaret E. (2011). Management indecision. Management Decision, 49(5), 683-693. doi: 10.1108/00251741111130788
This article focuses on indecision, which can lead to error. The author indicates there is a lot more research on making decisions than on the failure to make a decision.
Society has convinced many people that it is better to choose not to act and suffer the consequences rather than act incorrectly and suffer similar consequences .
The consequences for not making a decision often outweigh the consequences of making a bad decision, yet the fear of making a bad decision ultimately proves to be a more powerful motivator. Among the solutions is a punishment and reward system designed to reward decision-making and punish indecisiveness.
Decision making is integral to the practice of High Reliability Organizations (HRO). Understanding the causes of indecision among managers will be helpful when determining how to best implement HRO concepts in a new environment. Changing an organization’s culture from indecisive to decisive may help prevent costly errors.