THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROCEDURAL RATIONALITY AND POLITICAL-BEHAVIOR IN STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING

Despite the central place of rationality and political behavior in the decision-making literature, we know little about the relationship bet ween these two dimensions. Can decisions be made using both rational a nd political methods, or must managers use one approach or the other? These questions were addressed in a study of 61 strategic decisions in 24 companies using a multiple-informant, structured interview protoco l. Results indicate that procedural rationality and political behavior are independent dimensions of the strategic decision-making process. The implications of out findings for future strategic decision-making research are discussed.