Decision making style of executives in India

Decision Making is a peculiar and vital activity in all organizations. Almost every executive has to take some decisions while disposing the assigned duties. Thus it becomes significant to know whether the executives are right in their decision making approaches or not? This study aimed to identify the type of Decision Making Style (DMS) used by Indian Executives in their work place and to see the association of their DMS with their Organization Sector, Education, Age, Work Experience and Annual Income. Questionnaire survey of Indian manufacturing Organizations’ executives was done using General Decision Making Style inventory (Scott & Bruce, 1995). The averages, correlations, independent sample t-tests and ANOVA were found. Analysis revealed highest rational, second highest intuitive and least avoidant DMS. The Rational DMS had positive association with the third highest Dependent DMS and the Intuitive DMS had the same with fourth highest Spontaneous DMS. The rational and dependent DMS of public sector executives were significantly different from that of private sector executives. The avoidant DMS was found least in higher income group executives compared to the lower and middle income group executives. It was concluded that Indian Manufacturing Executives are more rational and least avoidant. They also use their intuition while making decisions and seek advices for better decisions. The results are discussed in the light of literature and recommendations are drawn on that. It is a pioneering effort to study the phenomenon of DMS in Indian contexts and it added to the dearth of literature on DMS.