The Role of Intuition in Strategic Decision Making: How Managers' Rationalize Intuition

Abstract

This paper looks at the role of intuition in strategic decision making. While there is a considerable body of work on intuition generally empirical research on it and its use by managers is limited. Little research on managers in the ‘field’ has been carried out, with the work by Agor (1989) probably the best known. Due to the nature of intuition (an activity which takes place in the minds of individuals and which researchers can not access directly) this paper looks instead at the discursive patterns of mangers in relation to intuition in strategic decision making. Primary data collection consisted of interviews with twelve senior managers in Ireland. This research identified that intuition is used by managers in strategic decision making. The research question was to identify the elements that constitute the intuitive discourse. For this paper the discourse of managers on decision making was analysed. A conceptual model, titled the Deconstructing Intuition Model was developed inductively.