The chapter defined and distinguished between routine, adaptive, and innovative types of decisions. This exercise gives you the opportunity to identify and deal with each of the three types. 

1. Class divides into groups. Each group represents the executive committee of a small manufacturing company which meets regularly to review and decide upon a list of problems. The list consists of items submitted by employees for decision. This week’s list of issues is shown below. 

2. Each group is to sort the items on the list into three decision categories – routine, adaptive, and innovative. 

3. Once all the items have been sorted into three piles, each group is to select one item from the routine pile and one item from the innovative pile, and develop an action plan for each. They should also select one adaptive decision issue, and indicate what approach might be appropriate for working on that decision.

4. After 20–30 minutes, the executive committees / small groups reassemble in a class plenary session. Each group presents one of the decisions that it has worked on, and describes its conclusions. 

5. Class discusses: 

• Was a routine or innovative decision harder to deal with? Why? 

• Did group members and groups categorize the decision items in the same way? 

• Over which items did group members disagree? 

• How were disagreements over categorization dealt with by the group?  

1. An assembly worker wants the committee to decide on a more equitable method for allocating scarce parking spaces.
2. A departmental manager wants a decision as to whether one of his programmers can be given a special bonus for developing a popular software item.
3. The facilities manager wants to know if part-time employees are eligible to join the company health club.
4. A division manager wants a decision on whether to open a new office in Paris, Berlin, or Moscow.
5. The cafeteria manager has asked for a decision on how to choose among suppliers of foodstuffs.
6. The marketing manager wants a decision on a new product that will not compete with other manufacturers’ products but will be popular because it fills an unmet need.
7. A supervisor has asked whether overtime should be given to those who ask first or to those who have the most seniority.
8. A decision has to be made whether to emphasize desktop or laptop computers during the next quarter.
9. The research department has developed an innovative and cheap memory chip which is capable of being incorporated in many devices. It has asked what direction your committee wants to take in developing applications for this chip.
10. The board of directors has told your committee to consider whether it would be better to open company-owned retail outlets in five major cities or to franchise the outlets.