Between a rock and a hard place: a case study of escalation

Organizations often seem to persist with decisions long after any sensible person might have given up. It is thought that such persistence results from foolhardy behaviour by decision makers motivated mainly by emotional factors such as pride and fear of failure. Analyses a case of a failing decisio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Management decision 1996-04, Vol.34 (3), p.29-34
Main Authors: Drummond, Helga, Kingstone Hodgson, Julia A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Business failures
Case studies
Cities
Committees
Councils
Decision making
Local government
Organizational behavior
Organizational effectiveness
Studies
Technical services
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Summary:Organizations often seem to persist with decisions long after any sensible person might have given up. It is thought that such persistence results from foolhardy behaviour by decision makers motivated mainly by emotional factors such as pride and fear of failure. Analyses a case of a failing decision. Concerns a local government department with a reputation for corruption and incompetence. Concludes that although escalation may reflect emotional pressures, persistence is not necessarily irrational. From a practical standpoint, argues that we need to reconsider what we expect from decision makers.
ISSN:0025-1747
1758-6070
DOI:10.1108/00251749610113640