Strategic Decision‐making in a New Millennium: The Contribution from Hybrid Decision‐making Modes

Empirical studies have provided scope for examining strategic decision‐making behaviours under a range of conditions including those involving environmental ‘jolts’ to expectations, and multiple‐decision activities. Effective decision‐making under turbulent conditions repeatedly involved a hybrid of rational and cybernetic (or experimental information‐seeking) behaviours. This was unpredicted. We have labelled this new mode Promethean rationality. A second hybrid mode was identified, under a more restricted range of conditions, and characterised as Confucian rationality combining rationality with appeal to ‘expert knowledge’. Inspection of a real‐life decision making case under an environmental jolt revealed preliminary evidence of Promethean rationality. The implications are the more valuable as in the rise of a new century, the environment around decision makers becomes more turbulent.