دراسة رقم 1
دراسة رقم 1
Mario Coccia
Address:
National Research Council of Italy
IRCRES-CNR, Via Real Collegio, n. 30
(Collegio Carlo Alberto)
10024 - Moncalieri (TO), Italy
Phone: (+39) 011 68-24-925
E-mail: mario.coccia@cnr.it
Abstract.
Turbulent environment can create crises that management has to soles in a limited time with critical
decisions. Critical decisions are an attempt to apply efficient modes of cognition and action to enable
the organization to cope with consequential environmental threats or take advantage of important
opportunities in the presence of highly restricted time in turbulent markets and/or specific situations.
Critical decisions involve a process of the organization’s leadership to think, consult, act, gain
acceptance for optimal solutions to complex problems in the presence of highly restricted time in crisis
given by scarce resources, uncertain factors, aversive environment, environmental difficulties,
ambiguous circumstances, unclear and volatile situations, or a combination of these factors. This study
presents the endogenous and exogenous types of crises for organizations and vital factors for critical
decisions that can be categorized in responsitive, proactive and recovery critical decisions. After that,
the study shows strategic operations and steps of critical decisions in a perspective of reductionism, and
a rational structure based on tree diagram to systematize the process of decision making. The study
here also suggests strategies for critical decisions in different environments based on theory of rational
choice, such as max-min, max-max and min-max approaches, described with a vital example. Final part
of this study shows how a complex problem can be treated in different ways in a wider perspective of
ecological rationality by approaches of resolution, solution and dissolution. The implications of
strategic management are that the approach of dissolution of a complex problem requires design of a
critical decision that may incorporate research and trial and error activities. Overall, then, this paper
suggests one of the most effective way of solving systemic and complex problems by private and public
organizations operating in, more and more, turbulent markets and volatile environments.
Keywords: strategic management; decision making; critical decision; crisis management; competitive
advantage; strategies; strategic change; business strategy; operational excellence; problem solving;
bounded rationality; decision rule; decision theory, natural disasters, risk management, bounded
rationality; environmental threats, ecological rationality, theory of rational choice
1. Introduction
The markets and environment have, more and more, a growing dynamism that generates
environmental uncertainty and turbulence (Johnson and Scholes, 1988; Emery and Trist, 1965). In this
uncertain and unstable environment, organizations are open systems having activities in interaction
with external factors (McDermott and Taylor, 1982; Gioia and Chittipeddi, 1991). Crises and
problematic situations confront organizations and leaders with complex issues they do not face on a
daily basis—for example, in the presence of hurricane, earthquake, political instability, terroristic
attacks, high custom duties, high taxation, market restrictions, etc. Critical decisions are hard calls,
which involve tough value trade-offs and also major changes, such as stop the production after
disasters, staff cuts and/or move the location of firms in other geoeconomic regions (Coccia, 2018r).
These manifold factors lead to organization and management to take critical decisions to cope with
consequential environmental threats in the presence of highly restricted time, endeavoring to minimize
the possible loss for a worst case scenario. A critical and effective decision also requires interagency and
that personnel of different departments work together. In this context, public organizations are
originally designed to conduct routine business in accordance with values of fairness, lawfulness, and
efficiency. However, critical decisions in the presence of a crisis require flexibility, improvisation,
redundancy, and the breaking of rules in a very short time. An effective critical decision to a crisis is, to
a large extent, the result of a naturally evolving process that may not be managed in linear, step-by-step,
and comprehensive fashion. Next sections show sources of risk for open organizations that trigger
critical decisions, logical steps of the process of critical decision making and a set of general strategies
for critical decisions to cope with consequential environmental threats in turbulent markets.
A critical decision occurs in the presence of a crisis given by an unexpected complex problem that
involves the stability of a public and/or private organization, institution or country at risk. These
sources can either originate internally or they can be due to external factors to organizations. If
organizations do not decide timely, and sources of risk are left unaddressed, they can permanently
damage the business, public service or cause it to fail with consequent socioeconomic problems. The
identification of a crisis for organizations needs the evaluation of vital elements, such as: a) the problem
must pose an imminent threat to the organization; b) the situation must involve an element of surprise
or shock; c) unexpected and uncertain nature of a complex problem will place pressure on business to
make timely and effective critical decisions. However, some crises are unavoidable, and organization
has to be ready to handle conflicts. A general definition of risk for organizations is a performance
variance or environment change, whether they impact the organization and business negatively (cf.,
Bouchet et al., 2003, p. 10). Crisis can be due to endogenous and exogenous factors that trigger a
process of critical decisions for survival and or adaptation of organizations themselves in new contexts.
1. A financial crisis occurs when a business loses value in its assets and the organization cannot
afford to pay off its debt. This crisis can be due to a significant drop in demand for the product or
service of firms that should move funds around to cover immediate short-term costs.
2. Personnel crises can be due to strikes for contractual claims, such as higher salary, benefits,
occupational safety, etc. It can be also due to unethical or illegal misconduct of employees.
Organizations need to identify the scope of the situation and determine appropriate meetings with
3. Organizational crises are due to many situations, such as a low demand of products and services,
conflict between owners or between shareholders and management, etc. This type of crisis can
4. Rapid evolution of technology can create problems to organizations that have to apply flexibility
and capacity of adaptation in the presence of technical change in markets. The first step is to hire
personnel with high-tech experience in emerging technologies and/or design strategic alliances
with high-tech firms to cope with consequential and rapid technological change (Coccia, 2017,
1. Natural disasters refer to phenomena of physical geography, such as earthquake, hurricane, flood,
etc., that may negatively impact the infrastructure, facilities, equipment, machines, markets of
organizations, etc. This situation can be worsened by weak infrastructure and inefficiencies of local
2. Social risk is due to collective actions of specific organizations, such as trade unions, non-
influence policy and/or management of public and private organizations. In this context, the
worst-case scenario, associated with social risk, is the physical aggression of employees and even
1For other studies about the interaction between science, technology and innovation, their sources, evolution, diffusion and impact
on socioeconomic systems, see: Calabrese et al., 2005; Chagpar and Coccia, 2019; Coccia, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2005a,b,c,d,
2006, 2006a, 2007, 2007a, 2008, 2008a, 2009, 200a, b, 2010, 2010a, b, c, 2011, 2012, 2012a, b, c, 2013, 2014, 2014a, b, c, d, e, f, g,
2015, 2015a, b, c, d, 2016, 2016a, b, 2017, 2017a, b, c, e, f, g, h, 2018d, e, f, g, h, i, l, m, n, o, p, q, 2019, 2019a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, l,
m, n, o, p, Coccia, 2020; Coccia and Benati, 2018; Coccia and Cadario, 2014; Coccia and Finardi, 2012; Coccia and Rolfo, 2002,
2008, 2009, 2013; Coccia and Wang, 2015, 2016; Coccia and Watts, 2020.
3. Economic risk refers to the variability of structural indicators in economy, such as output, price,
interest rate, foreign exchange, trade, employment, public debt, etc. For instance, hyperinflation in
some countries of South America, high public debt of some European countries, etc. (cf., Coccia,
2017b). Another source of economic risk is devaluation or general increase of prices, etc. (cf.,
Coccia, 2016). In general, macroeconomic risk includes all negative events that may affect
industries or firms. Some of these risks are difficult to identify exclusively within a single category,
such as energy shortages is an economic risk that can also be due to natural causes (cf., Coccia,
4. Political risk is associated with political instability and uncertainty of countries. This risk can lead
to alter governmental policy or political regime (cf., Coccia, 2019b). Political risk covers any
such as expropriation, breach of contract including loan repudiation, foreign exchange controls,
trade restrictions or trade agreements that could favor some competitors at the expense of others,
etc. (cf., Miller, 1992; Coccia, 2017c). In particular, political risk concerns any potential or actual
change in the political system, but also includes any sociopolitical regression that may disrupt the
foreign and/or domestic businesses, such as in countries of Latin America or Africa (Coccia,
5. Terrorism is due to some group organized that has technical skills to carry out a terrorist action
directed to challenge a nation's authority and induce fear and anxiety into civilian population (cf.,
Crenshaw, 1981, p. 380). Terrorism can be due to economic factors (such as low income, poverty,
inequality…), high demographic growth associated with poor resources, political factors, etc. (cf.,
Coccia, 2017d, 2018, 2018a, b, c; Krueger, 2007; Newman, 2006). Ackoff and Rovin (2003, p. 146)
argue that “countries that are the breeding grounds for terrorists are the least advanced
economically”. Terrorism is a source of risk for public and private organizations that need critical
A crisis management team is a task force within organizations to proactively prepare for managing
crises and taking critical decisions. These teams are in charge of anticipating potential problems and
making critical decisions to resolve strenuous situations and complex problems for organizations.
Successful crisis management teams understand the different types of crisis and are thoroughly
prepared for all situations. In a crisis, leaders are expected to reduce uncertainty and provide an
authoritative account of problems, solutions and difficulties. When leaders have formulated a strategy
for complex problems, they must get others to accept the proposed solution. In fact, the strategy of
leaders can coincide and compete with those of other parties, who hold other positions and interests,
and who are likely to espouse various alternative solutions and actions. Management of critical
decisions is the process by which an organization deals with a disruptive and unexpected event that
threatens to harm the organization or its stakeholders. Vital factors for a critical decision in aversive
environment: are:
Venette (2003) argues that "crisis is a process of transformation where the old system can no longer be
maintained". Therefore, a critical decision generates a “strategic change” (cf., Gioia and Chittipeddi,
1991). In this context, critical decision process endeavors to find the best ways to avoid effective and
potential threats to organization. In particular, critical decisions should deal with threats before, during,
and after they have occurred. Management has to be able, using high skill competencies and techniques,
to identify, assess, understand, and cope with a serious situation, especially from the moment it first
Different types of critical decisions are (cf., Seeger et al., 1998; Shrivastava et al., 1988; Bundy et al.,
2017):
matches the situation at hand. Crisis management executes the plan of critical decisions and handles
any unexpected roadblocks that may pop up. Responsive critical decisions are used for financial and/or
example, building an earthquake-resistant factory and sharing an evacuation plan with employees are
methods to prepare for natural disasters. While not all crises can be prevented or planned for, actively
monitoring for threats to business of organizations can reduce the impact of potential problematic
situations in future.
prevent the damage it caused. In these cases, company may not be able to lessen the impact, but it can
The usual perspective for critical decisions is based on strategic operations and steps, such as (Linstone,
1999):
- the definition of a complex problem Pr from volatile environment, and the implicit assumption that
the problem can be solved. After that, it is important to gather information for possible solutions
of the problem Pr
- Reductionism, the study of complex problems in terms of a very limited number of variables and the
critical interaction among them
- Identification of the purpose of critical decision about the complex problem Pr under study
- Suggestion and evaluation of different alternative solutions to complex problem Pr under study
- Ignoring or avoiding the individual interests
- Selection of the optimal solution, or the search, whenever possible, for a best solution in a short
time
- Implementation of the critical decision and evaluation of results
In short, the starting point of critical decision is a complex problem that we assume a possible solution
exists. A complex problem has several solution concepts (Sl), each of which leads to several
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consequential problems (Pr) and solutions (Sl). A critical decision can be systematized by a tree
structure of decision making with different levels of Pr and Sl succeeding (Fig. 1).
Sl111
Pr11
Sl112
Sl1
Sl111
Pr12
Sl112
Pr
Sl211
Pr11
Sl212
Sl2
Sl221
Pr12
Sl222
Time limited 1h, 24h, 48h, 1 weeks or 1 month depending on situation under study
Figure 1. The problem-solution tree for critical decisions. Note. Pr=problem; Sl=Solution.
Different rules and strategies can be applied for critical decisions in the presence of turbulent scenario,
such as:
A simple example can clarify these different approaches for critical decisions (cf., Lloyd and Dicken,
1977).
Environmental Situation
I II III
Strategy 1 200 155 145
Strategy 2 130 220 130
Strategy 3 118 118 225
Critical decision depends on manifold endogenous and exogenous factors, also considering the
behavior of management toward risk and uncertainty. The critical decision based on different rules is as
follows.
o Pessimistic critical decision is based on a rule of max-min, selecting the max of the worst result in each
strategy:
o Optimistic critical decision is based on a rule of max-max, selecting the max of the best result in each
strategy:
Probability
Environmental Situation I 0.2
Environmental Situation II 0.5
Environmental Situation III 0.3
Total 1.0
then, critical decision here is based on selecting the strategy with the highest expected value, given by:
o Approximate critical decision assumes that the probabilities of all environmental situations are equal.
Table 1 has three environmental situations and the equal probability is 0.333 (i.e.,
1/3=0.333….):
Probability
Environmental Situation I 0.333…
Environmental Situation II 0.333…
Environmental Situation III 0.333…
Total 1.000
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This critical decision is also based on selecting the strategy with the highest expected value:
If the critical decision, a priori, is strategy 3 and the environmental situation, a posteriori, is I in table
1, the best critical decision ex-post would be strategy 1, rather than strategy 3, and the regret ex-post
for the wrong choice done a priori is 83 (i.e., 200-118). The calculation of this value for each cell is
the base for Min-Max rule of critical decision, given by minimizing the max value of strategies, i.e.,
80 for strategy 1
95 for strategy 2
82 for strategy 3 Critical decision with Min-Max
The decision rule and mechanism for critical decisions, of course, change according to the situation that
can be affected by manifold variables. In this context, it is important to consider the ecological rationality
that claims how the rationality of a decision depends on the circumstances in which it takes place, so as
to achieve one's goals in this particular context. What is considered rational under the theory of rational
choice account, it might not always be considered rational under the ecological rationality account. In
short, rational choice theory puts a premium on internal logical consistency, whereas ecological
rationality also targets external performance in the world (cf., Allais, 1953; Kahneman et al., 1982;
Gigerenzer and Todd, 1999; Simon, 1955). In some markets, timing is the essence of management
behavior in markets. In particular, management must nurture quick-footed capability for getting into
the market before competitors enter the same niche and destroy profitability. For instance, in the
presence of a technological crisis, firms have to improve specialized complementary assets, and
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undertake specific Research and Development (R&D) investments in new technologies or strategic
alliances with high-tech firms that may help to support R&D process and competitive advantage in
turbulent markets. However, within process of critical decisions, it is also important to consider
bounded rationality of decision makers, i.e., rationality is limited when individuals make decisions by
the tractability of the decision problem, the cognitive limitations of the mind, and the time available to
make the decision. Firms, in a context of bounded rationality, aim to a behavior of satisficing rather than
maximizing critical decisions (Simon, 1947; 1957; Gigerenzer and Selten, 2002).
In general, a complex problem can provide potential lessons in organizations for contingency planning
and training for future crises. To put it differently, critical decisions provide vital material and
information for a process of learning for future turbulent situations. Nevertheless, lesson drawing is
one of the most underdeveloped aspects of critical decision process for crisis management. In fact,
there can be cognitive and organizational barriers to learning, associated with routines of human
resources involved in the decision making process of organizations. Moreover, critical decisions are
part of collective memory within and between organizations and a source for historical analogies useful
to leaders and organizations in future complex situations (cf., Seeger et al., 1998; Shrivastava et al.,
1988; Bundy et al., 2017). Overall, then, critical decisions deal with problems that are choice situations
in which what is done makes a significant difference to those who make the choice (Ackoff and Rovin,
2003, p. 9). In short, a complex problem can be treated in different ways but the most effective
approaches for critical decisions to cope with consequential environmental threats can be, using
previous strategies: resolution, solution and dissolution (Ackoff and Rovin, 2003, pp. 9-10). In
particular,
- Resolution is when management employs behavior previously used in similar situations, adapted
if necessary, so to obtain an outcome that is good enough. This approach for critical decisions
is based on past experience, trial and error, and a common sense.
- Solution means to discover or create a behavior that yields the best, or approximately the best
possible outcome, one that optimizes. However, change in environment and new information
can cause solutions to deteriorate. In general, solutions do not exist in isolation from other
problems.
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- Dissolution means to redesign either the organization that has the problems or the environment
in such way as to eliminate the problem or the conditions that caused it, thus enabling the
organization to do better in the future than the best it can do today. Moreover, stakeholders
might seize upon the lessons of crises to advocate measures and policy and organizational
reforms to improve overall efficiency of organization (cf., Bundy et al., 2017).
To conclude, the approach of dissolution of a complex problem requires design of a critical decision
that may incorporate research and trial and error. This may be one of the most effective way of treating
systemic and complex problems by private and public organizations operating in, more and more,
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