acceptable level of performance. The first alternative that meets the “good enough” cri-
terion ends the search. So decision makers choose a final solution that satisficesrather
than optimizes; that is, they seek a solution that is both satisfactory and sufficient. In prac-
tice this might mean that rather than interviewing 10 job candidates for a position, a man-
ager interviews one at a time until one that is “good enough” is interviewed—that is, the
first job candidate encountered who meets the minimum criteria for the job. The fed-
eral government has proposed this rule for its own hiring, as OB in the Workplaceshows.
Chapter 9Decision Making, Creativity, and Ethics 297OB IN THE WORKPLACEOttawa May Stop Hiring “Best Qualified”
Is hiring the “best-qualified” person too much work? Executives and middle man-
agers working in the federal government think so.^15 They argue that “being quali-
fied and competent for a particular job should be enough” even though the person
may not be the best possible candidate.
Public servants asked for the rules on hiring to be loosened so that they could
actually start hiring and filling positions rather than spending so much time finding
the “best-qualified” person. They find those searches excruciating and exhausting.
When managers follow the federal guidelines for hiring, it can take six months or
more to fill a position.
Steve Hindle, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada,
explains why hiring someone who is qualified is probably good enough: “If people
are honest, what they want is someone who is qualified, but the idea of finding the
best? Do we have the time, tools and money needed to find the very best? You want
someone competent and good and if they’re the best, that’s great.”
However, not everyone agrees that changing the rules for hiring is a good idea.
The public sector unions worry that favouritism may become more common. But
they do agree that the current system has too much red tape.Intuition
Irene Khoo has just committed her corporation to spend-
ing more than $40 million to build a new plant in New
Westminster, BC, to manufacture electronic components for
satellite communication equipment. As the vice-president
of operations for her firm, Khoo reviewed a comprehensive
analysis of five possible plant locations developed by a
site-location consulting firm she had hired. This report
ranked the New Westminster location third among the five alternatives. After carefully
reading the report and its conclusions, Khoo decided against the consultant’s recom-
mendation. When asked to explain her decision, Khoo said, “I looked the report over very
carefully. Despite its recommendation, I felt that the numbers didn’t tell the whole
story. Intuitively, I just sensed that New Westminster would prove to be the best bet
over the long run.”
Intuitive decision making, like that used by Irene Khoo, has recently come out of
the closet and gained some respectability. Experts no longer automatically assume that
using intuition to make decisions is irrational or ineffective.^16 There is growing recog-
nition that rational analysis has been overemphasized and that, in certain instances,
relying on intuition can improve decision making.
What do we mean by intuitive decision making? There are a number of ways to con-
ceptualize intuition.^17 For instance, some consider it a form of extrasensory power or sixth
Is it okay to use
intuition when
making decisions?*
satisfice To provide a solution
that is both satisfactory and suffi-
cient.