Why Decisions Fail Avoiding the Blunders and Traps That Lead to Debacles

Why Decisions Fail critiques 15 infamously bad decisions that became public debacles. The author examines how these mistakes could have been avoided and explains how any organization's decision-making process can be improved to prevent such failures.Author Paul Nutt began by looking at 400 decisions made by top managers involving such topics as products and services, pricing and markets, personnel policy, technology acquisition, and strategic reorganization. Analyzing how each decision was made, he determined that two out of three decisions were based on failureprone or questionable tactics. He identifies these key errors and suggests alternatives that have proven successful.

Paul C. Nutt is a professor of Management Sciences and Public Policy and Management in the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University.