In a recent study, Mintzberg, Raisinghani, and Theoret (1976) found that the process by which strategic decisions are made in organizations has an underlying structure. However, it is our belief that the outcome of a particular strategic decision cannot be predicted using only the variables subsumed in the Mintzberg, et al. model. In order to understand fully why a particular strategic alternative is chosen also requires knowledge of the environmental and organizational context in which the decision is made. This paper is a synopsis of a preliminary attempt to specify and discuss the major contextual factors which affect strategic decision making in organizations. A copy of the complete paper can be obtained by writing to the first author.
Hambrick et al. (Mon,) studied this question.