Strategic decision processes feature the interplay of decision partici
pants who advocate different visions of the path to organizational suc
cess. By examining the mental maps of marketing and R&D managers, this
study traces the changing portrait of a strategic decision. The Techn
o project, a highly contested decision in a Fortune 500 company, provi
ded the context for our research. Employing a longitudinal design, int
erviews were conducted with marketing and R&D executives at three poin
ts in the decision process. Based on a content analysis of the executi
ve interviews, mental maps were constructed to capture the changing be
lief structures of the two functions. The analysis is further enriched
by qualitative data drawn directly from the transcribed interviews of
marketing and R&D managers. Changes in the managers' belief structure
s are linked to corresponding changes in the direction of the strategi
c decision. Several propositions issuing from the research are offered
and hey managerial and research implications are highlighted.