Impacts of organizational culture and personality traits on decision-making in technical organizations

Technical organizations in industries such as aerospace or automotive regularly make major decisions regarding software and other tools to support mission-critical activities. These decisions take place at the enterprise level where functional departments must work together in ways not common before. Usually, these are high-impact, tension-filled decision activities that have long term effects. The organization needs a successful decision that stands the test of implementation and a sustained period of effective operation. The processes used in such cases generally follow analytical decision methods aimed at maximizing objectives. Understanding the characteristics of the organization, including the culture and the affected parties, in addition to the technical aspects of the decision may significantly increase the likelihood of success. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.