Decision-Making Processes in the Workplace

Linking Advances in Decision-making with the I/O Research Domain: the State of Art

The organizational research in decision-making is strictly connected to models used to diagnose the environment of study. Recent explorative studies have started to implement decision-making constructs within organizational models and the I/O variables related. For instance, the recent job demands-resources decision-making model (JD-R-DM), a version of the JD-R model, has proposed how the decision-making styles mediate contextual factors (i.e., job demands, job resources, work-engagement, job performance, etc.). In one of the confirmed hypothesis of the model, it shows the mediator role of the analytical decision-making in relation to job demands and in-role performance, in which: "regulation of job demands is important to positively influence performance", which is also what we can expect from self-regulation mechanisms involved in decision-making considering the perspective of Bandura and Jourden. On the other hand, the JD-R-DM model does not include an interaction between the analytical decision-making and job demands, but it is presumable that different levels of demands in relation to a decision-making construct such as the DMCy could affect job performance. This because of two reasons: first, DMCy has an impact on the self-regulation processes and then on the accomplishment of task targets; second, cognitive analytical style shows to be a convergence measure of the decisional competence. On the other hand, the decision-making styles assess the ways in which individuals approach decision-making, the competence instead measures how well individuals make decisions and it is usually considered as a construct trait-like. For this reason, it is plausible that a competence such as the DMCy, instead of being a mediator of the process determined by the work environment (as for cognitive analytical style), is more likely to be a reliable antecedent of job performance by interacting with job demands.

Another consideration concerning the JD-R-DM model regards the absence of the classical JD-R exhaustion component, whereas work engagement and its relation with decision-making processes, for theoretical reasons concerning the role of positive affects in cognitive styles, have been widely explored in the model. For evident methodological research limits, for what concerns new extensions of the JD-R model and in line with the research purpose, it is reasonable to consider only some components or relationships of the original model. In relation to the theoretical constructs so far presented, no study yet has analyzed the role of exhaustion on performance together with DMCy, DEM in the JD-R framework. To the best of our knowledge, we can assume that, if DMCy is related to task accomplishment, a relationship with in-role performance, actually defined as outcome of processes that directly serve organizational targets, is expected. Whereas, as seen, higher DEM in combination to a resourceful work environment should be positively related to the extra role performance. As well, in fact job resources are the most important predictors of extra-role performance, where job demands (if not particularly high) are associated to in-role performance. For what concerns relationships with decision-making processes, we can presume that experienced exhaustion can alter choice processes by impairing the self-regulation mechanism of DMCy, which in turn can affect the performance in carrying out tasks. Exhaustion also may drain perceived personal resources, leaving the executive function less capable of carrying out activities. As well, the absence of some job resources has social consequences that can affect the good use of those decision competences related to the environment and ultimately working with others. Job demands instead have been revealed to be an important regulator capable of influencing task performance, probably in relation to a construct such as the DMCy.

Thus, we make the following hypotheses: Job resources and DEM are positively related to extra-role performance (H1a: DEM, job resources→extra-role performance). In addition, job resources moderate the effect of DEM on extra-role performance, so that extra role performance is positively influenced by the combination of high levels of job resources and DEM because such employees are able to better manage the presence of resources at work (H1b: DEM × job resources→extra-role performance). Job demands and DMCy are positively related to in-role performance (H2a: DMCy, job demands→in-role performance). Additionally, high levels of job demands can impair decision processes by negatively interacting with employees low in DMCy. Demands' information overload is frequent in bad decision makers, resulting in scarce performance in carrying out their task targets (H2b: DMCy × job demands→in-role performance). Exhaustion is negatively associated with both kinds of performance (H3a: exhaustion→extra-role performance; H4a: exhaustion→in-role performance). Moreover, low levels of exhaustion have a positive moderation effect on the relationships between decision making competences (i.e., DEM, DMCy) and performance. Energetic individuals are usually successful in decision-making processes and report higher performance standards than their exhausted counterparts (H3b: DEM × exhaustion→extra-role performance; H4b: DMCy × exhaustion→in-role performance). A graphical representation of all the combined hypotheses mentioned is presented in Model 1 of Figure 1.

FIGURE 1. Hypothesized Model 1 with interactions between decision competences and performance dimensions.