Garbage Can Code: Mysteries in the Original Simulation Model

The garbage can model created by Cohen, March, and Olsen (1972) explains organizational decision making under ambiguity. In the initial study outlining the model, a computer simulation was used for analysis. However, despite the appendix of Cohen et al. (1972) providing the Fortran source code for t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of Business Administrative Science 2015/02/15, Vol.14(1), pp.15-34
Main Author: INAMIZU, Nobuyuki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Computer simulation
Decision making
Decision making models
Energy
FORTRAN
garbage can model
Organization theory
simulation
Strategic management
Studies
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Summary:The garbage can model created by Cohen, March, and Olsen (1972) explains organizational decision making under ambiguity. In the initial study outlining the model, a computer simulation was used for analysis. However, despite the appendix of Cohen et al. (1972) providing the Fortran source code for the simulation, subsequent studies rarely made any reference to the simulation model. In this study, we examine the simulation model of Cohen et al. by rebuilding the aforementioned source code. The results of our study clearly indicate the following three points. 1) the program created by Cohen et al. failed to detect the three decision-making styles (decision by resolution, decision by oversight, and decision by flight); 2) decision making sometimes occurred not only when choice opportunities had no problems but also when a choice opportunity had no decision maker; and 3) even when there were no problems attached to choice opportunities, the initial setting was programmed as though there were, perhaps to avoid the decision making seen in 2).
ISSN:1347-4464
1347-4456
DOI:10.7880/abas.14.15