The structure of adjustment decision-making

A system is proposed for analysing adjustment decision-making in management. Its structure is based on dichotomous answers to simple questions: What should be done? Where? By Whom? Using Which focus? and Whether by increasing or controlling power in the situation? These lead to the creation of four general kinds of activity, eight particular activities, and sixteen different processes. Keys to healthy decision-making include: a large spread of differentiation between the various activities it uses and a high tolerance for different processes, and a dynamic movement between them. An important sign of a problem in decision-making would be a lack of balance within the dichotomies. Supporting evidence from different contexts is given to show that such categorisations of activities are natural to decision-making. Some well-known categorisations are put into context and re-interpreted. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.