Action in Uncertainty

5The Conduct of Action and Leadership

In this chapter, we will look at the implementation of decisions, i.e. how a decision becomes an effective action, a “performing action”, an action that changes the world in some way. To do this, we will consider several perspectives.

Firstly, the execution of decisions. Then, we will place ourselves in the entrepreneurial framework, observing that action is all the more efficient when it is not the isolated action of a single individual, but is the result of teamwork. This is, of course, the general case in companies.

We will therefore focus on two different aspects: the constitution of teams and their leadership. These two aspects are almost indissociable, and we will consider them separately only for the sake of clarity.

5.1. On the implementation of decisions

In the foregoing discussion, I have ignored the fourth phase of decision making: the task of carrying out decisions. I shall merely observe by the way that seeing that decisions are executed is again a decision-making activity (H.A. Simon)¹.

For Herbert Simon, execution is thus the fourth phase of the decision after information search, design and choice. Execution is part of the decision; it is the decision on a microcosmic scale! As in the quote from the Barenton confectioner (section 4.5 in fine), quite often it is more important to make a decision quickly and stick with it than to spend a lot of time weighing up the pros and cons. In the interval between major strategic and, ...