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HELLER, FRANK (Ed.). Decision Making and Leadership. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992. Pp. xvi + 247. $49.95
Editor Frank Heller invited a number of well-known scholars to contribute chapters on topics of their own choice in the general areas of decision making and leadership. Twenty-three contributors from the United States, Europe, and Australia participated. The result was a book "intended to whet the appetite and provide the reader with an opportunity to survey a limited number of important recent approaches to theory and practice."
The reader might wonder how the idea to combine decision making and leadership was reached by Heller. His explanation is simply that decision makers are usually leaders. Although the two subjects are often treated separately, Heller speculates that the concept of power may be the key underlying concept that could be used to unify them. In any event, the editor is hopeful the dual treatment of these subjects will advance research and practice in both areas.
The longest contribution in the book follows Heller's introductory chapter. It is a chapter by Irving Janis on defective policy making and, unfortunately, was his last scientific work before his death. Janis followed up his Groupthink theme with the concept of "vigilant problem solving" which he claimed can be used to avoid defective decision making. Essentially, the chapter is a...