EVALUATING ALTERNATIVES TO MAKE STRATEGIC CHOICES

The tactics used by decision makers to evaluate alternatives during st rategic decision making were uncovered by examining decisions in 317 o rganizations. Nine tactics were identified and Linked to their frequen cy of use and record of success. 'Analytical' tactics were widely used and most types of analytical tactics sere quite successful. 'Bargaini ng' tactics were rarely used but highly successful. 'Subjectice' tacti cs were also widely used but had a mixed record of success. Finally, s ponsor 'judgment' was observed in 14% of the cases and was rarely succ essful. The motivations and implications of best and worst practices a re discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.