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The majority of successful senior managers do not closely follow the
classical rational model of first clarifying goals, assessing the problem,
formulating options, estimating likelihoods of success, making a decision, and
only then taking action to implement the decision. Rather, in their day-by-day
tactical maneuvers, these senior executives rely on what is vaguely termed
“intuition” to manage a network of interrelated problems that require them to
deal with ambiguity, inconsistency, novelty, and surprise; and to integrate
action into the process of thinking.
Generations of writers on management have recognized that some practicing
managers rely heavily on intuition. In general, however, such writers display a
poor grasp of what intuition is. Some see it as the opposite of rationality;
others view it as an excuse for capriciousness.
Isenberg’s recent research on the cognitive processes of senior managers
reveals that managers’ intuition is neither of these. Rather, senior managers
use intuition in at least five distinct ways. First, they intuitively sense when
a problem exists. Second, managers rely on intuition to perform well-learned
behavior patterns rapidly. This intuition is not arbitrary or irrational, but is
based on years of painstaking practice and hands-on experience that build
skills. A third function of intuition is to synthesize isolated bits of data and
practice into an integrated picture, often in an “Aha!” experience. Fourth, some
managers use intuition as a check on the results of more rational analysis. Most
senior executives are familiar with the formal decision analysis models and
tools, and those who use such systematic methods for reaching decisions are
occasionally leery of solutions suggested by these methods which run counter to
their sense of the correct course of action. Finally, managers can use intuition
to bypass in-depth analysis and move rapidly to engender a plausible solution.
Used in this way, intuition is an almost instantaneous cognitive process in
which a manager recognizes familiar patterns.
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