Home › MCQs › Public Adminstration › Question #9562
Back to Questions
Public Adminstration QUESTION #9562
Question 1
Herbert Simon argued that organizations are important because they shape the decision-making environment of individuals. He classified administrative behaviour into three streams. Which classification best explains why two equally qualified officers in different ministries might reach different decisions on the same policy problem?
  • Different levels of charismatic authority make them susceptible to different interpersonal influences
  • The structure of their respective organizations determines the environments of information available to them — different bureaucratic contexts produce different cognitive inputs for decision-making✔️
  • The difference in their personal Theory X or Theory Y orientation leads to fundamentally different analytical frameworks
  • Different stages in their Maslow hierarchy of needs cause them to weight policy outcomes according to their dominant personal need
Correct Answer Explanation
Simon argued that organizations structure the decision environment — they filter information, establish premises of decision and shape the range of alternatives considered. Two officers in different organizational contexts will have different information environments, different standard operating procedures and different institutional premises — leading to divergent decisions even with identical professional qualifications.