Making managerial health care decisions in complex, high velocity environments

After meeting with the surgeons, Michael was well aware that they believed the evidence in favour of purchasing the Synco model was indisputable, and that they would exercise their collective political power to encourage the purchase. [...] At one point in the process of deciding whether or not to launch the Challenger, managers were advised to “stop thinking like engineers.” Research from this approach shows the importance of considering individual character- istics and experiences of the decision-maker and his or her context when attempting to understand the decision-making process. [...] But the way in which OR staff interpreted the studies caused Michael to wonder about whether Mountainview’s experience with the Synco machine would match that of the California test sites. [...] Research on decision-making often stops at the point where a decision has been made, but the successful implementation of that decision is critical in considering the process of transferring research knowledge to practice. [...] In the remainder of the paper, we draw attention to the ‘messiness’ of decision-making within a larger context, highlighting research initiatives that provide insights into potential managerial strategies.