Deciding How to Decide: An Evaluation of Cultural Typologies on the Structure of Watershed Organizations

A Graduate Defense Seminar will be presented by Kimberly A. Horndeski, MS candidate in Environmental Social Sciences, on Thursday, December 18 at 12:00 p.m. in 333 Kottman Hall. Kimberly will present Deciding How to Decide: An Evaluation of Cultural Typologies on the Structure of Watershed Organizations.

The structure and decision making process of an organization arguably affects the outcomes of that organization; therefore, how an organization determines what types of decision making rules to follow is an important consideration. The intent of this research project is to uncover the factors that influence the decision rule making process, with a specific focus on the culture of the members of the organization.

An organization’s cultural typology, as defined in Cultural Theory, influences the way in which the members of that organization perceive the world and, therefore, the way in which the members of the organization choose to respond and address important issues. These responses are reflected in the manner in which they structure and develop their organization’s decision rule making process.

In order to understand the complexities of the decision rule making process, a comparative case-study of four watershed organizations in central Ohio was conducted.  Data collection included observations of group activities and meetings, analyses of bylaws and websites, and interviews with members of the organizations responsible for establishing each organization’s decision rule making process.