Ibrahim, Muhammad Fahmi; (2024) Modeling technical decision-making for product development in engineering organizations. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

Preview

Text PhD Thesis - Fahmi Ibrahim.pdf - Accepted Version Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract

Decision-making is a fundamental practice in engineering organizations that significantly influences the value of the products developed. However, despite the expectation that highly technical and safety-critical decisions should follow a rational process, human behavior often interferes, resulting in outcomes that are less than entirely rational. This research aims to model the interplay between rational and behavioral components in technical decision-making during product development. A Unified Model of Rational and Behavioral Technical Decision-Making (UMRBTDM) was developed as the conceptual framework for this study. A mixed-methods strategy was employed, consisting of in-depth interviews with 15 participants to explore their behavior and organizational technical decision-making process for the qualitative component, and the development of questionnaires to assess decision-making tendencies using realistic scenarios, garnering 96 responses for the quantitative component. The Synthesized Model of Technical Decision-Making in Product Development, which was later developed by refining the UMRBTDM based on the research data, models the interaction between rational analysis and biases in the technical decision-making process. Data analysis showed that technical decision-making in engineering organizations resembles a three-way tug of war where rule-following, rational analysis, and personal judgment pull in different directions to reach an equilibrium. The decision-makers were also found to be moderately biased and more prone to social bias than cognitive bias. Social and cognitive biases have also been shown to be embedded in the processes, and removing biases from the equation is impractical. These biases do not necessarily lead to bad decision-making because they are sometimes used to mitigate the limitations of rational analysis. Rational analysis is a powerful tool that should be pursued but at the same time, behavioral elements should be allowed to co-exist in the decision-making process, as long as engineering organizations can identify and manage the negative side effects of heuristics and biases in the decision-making process.

Download activity - last month

Export as XMLCSVJSON

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as XMLJSONCSV

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as XMLCSVJSON

Archive Staff Only

View Item