ANALYZING MANAGERIAL DISCRETION: AN ASSESSMENT TOOL TO PREDICT INDIVIDUAL POLICY DECISIONS

Abstract

This paper develops the concept of managerial discretion. Discretion, defined as individual empowerment to act, has received increased attention in the management literature, particularly in the policy area. This research develops an instrument to measure discretion of individual managers. Vignettes are used to measure the willingness of managers to act in response to dilemmas that have organizational policy implications. The investigation of the reliability and validity of the developed measure, the Individual Discretion Questionnaire (IDQ), reveals that it identifies variability in managerial response and correlates significantly with two other established measures: locus of control and organizational ethical culture. The results suggest that this assessment tool may provide a means to identify how willing individual managers are to take preventive action in situations that present financial and sociopolitical risks to their organization.

Citation

Key, S. (1997), "ANALYZING MANAGERIAL DISCRETION: AN ASSESSMENT TOOL TO PREDICT INDIVIDUAL POLICY DECISIONS", The International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 134-155. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb028865