Half the decisions in organizations fail. Studies of 358 decisions in medium to large organizations in the U.S. and Canada reveal that these failures can be traced to managers who impose solutions, limit the search for alternatives, and use power to implement their plans. Managers who make the need for action clear at the outset, set objectives, carry out an unrestricted search for solutions, and get key people to participate are more apt to be successful. Tactics prone to fail were used in two of every three decisions that were studied.