MNGT 215 – Fall 2007-2008

Video case - Chapter 3

After watching the video Big problems with the Big Dig,prepare the following questions.

In December 2006, a ceremony was held to celebrate the opening of the massive highway tunnel running underneath Boston, affectionately dubbed the “Big Dig”. This video illustrates the kinds of decisions managers face, and the problems that can arise despite a prearranged process or set of decisions. This video can help demonstrate how managers must adapt and be flexible, and it presents a good portrayal of pressures such as time and budget constraints that go along with any realistic project.

Multiple choice

1.Managers acting as decision makers often ignore problems or avoid taking action. There are several elements of managerial decisions that contribute to those outcomes. The state that exists when decision makers have insufficient information is called .

  1. risk
  2. conflict
  3. uncertainty
  4. lack of structure

2.There are several key stages of decision making that are involved in any effective decision making process, no matter the time constraints involved. Before decisions makers evaluate alternatives, they should first .

a.evaluate the decision

b.make the choice

c.generate alternative solutions

d.implement the decision

3.After considering the possible consequences of the options, it is time to make the decision as a manager. The project managers’ next decision may not be a popular one. Choosing an option that is acceptable, although not necessarily the best or perfect is called .

  1. a contingency plan
  2. satisficing
  3. maximizing
  4. optimizing

4.The project managers of the Big Dig were facing pressures from the public, particularly because of high expectations, numerous critics, and the unprecedented scale of the project. One psychological bias weighting the short-term costs and benefits more heavily than longer-term costs and benefits is called

.

  1. discounting the future
  2. illusion of control
  3. framing effects
  4. time pressures

5.Consider the nature of the Big Dig project and the project managers’ decision processes. is a less-than-perfect form of rationality in which decision makers cannot be perfectly rational because decisions are complex and complete information is unavailable.

  1. Incremental model
  2. Coalition model
  3. Garbage can model
  4. Bounded rationality

Discussion questions

1.Risk, uncertainty, lack of structure, and conflict are classic characteristics of managerial decisions. Consider the project planners of the Big Dig in Boston. Which of these elements of managerial decisions were demonstrated in the video? Do you think some of it could have been prevented? If so, how?

2. The video shows that project officials have documentation showing that the contractors knew the slurry used in the tunnel was not up to specifications. If the materials are not sound, it makes sense that the tunnel is now leaking. What role does time play in the quality of decision making among managers? Do you think the problems today could have been prevented with better, more timely decision making by the project managers?

3.Consider the points of view that were represented in the video. Who were the participants in the Big Dig and what are their perspectives? Now consider the problem and the idea of accountability. Is there an emergent strategy in this crisis? What do you think the project managers should do to resolve the situation?

Other Relevant Chapters:

This video also relates well with the content material found within text Chapter 2: The External Environment and Organizational Culture and Chapter 16: Managerial Control.

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