Chapter 7 - Observing Decion-Maker Behaviour and the Office Environment

1. Kinds of Information Sought
   • Activities
   • Messages
   • Influence
   • Relationships
2. Observing a Decision Maker's Behaviour
   • Observing a Typical Manager's Decision-Making Activities
     1. Decide what is to be observed (activities)
     2. Decide at what level of concreteness activities are to be observed.
     3. Create categories that adequately capture key activities.
     4. Prepare appropriate scales, checklists, or other materials for observation.
     5. Decide when to observe.
   • Time and Event Sampling

     	Time Sampling	Event Sampling
     Advantages	Cuts down on bias with randomization of observations Allows a representative view of frequent activities	Allows observation of behavior as it unfolds Allows observation of an event designated as important
     Disadvantages	Gathers data in a fragmented fashion that doesn't allow time for a decision to unfold Misses infrequent but important decisions	Takes a great deal of analyst's time Misses a representative sample of frequent decisions

   • Observing a Decision Maker's Body Language
     • Adjective Pairs and Categories
     • The Analyst's Playscript
3. Observing the Physical Environment
   • Structured Observation of the Environment (STROBE)
     • STROBE Elements
       1. Office location
       2. Placement of the decision maker's chair
       3. Stationary office equipment
       4. Props
       5. Trade journals and newspapers
       6. Office lighting and color
       7. Clothing worn by decision makers
     • Application Alternatives
       • Analysis of photographs
       • Checklist/Likert scale approach
       • Anecdotal list (with symbols)
       • Observation/narrative comparison

Exercises: (due - noon Oct. 6, 1998)
e-mail to summers_wayne@ColumbusState.edu your answers to the following problems: pg. 191-2: 1 Explore the MRE HyperCase company and e-mail the answers to the questions [This can be done in a group of 2-3]