Garbage Can Model by Cohen, March and Olsen

A presentation of the Garbage Can Model

1. Rubens Yanes JSGS 865 -Fall 2020 Garbage Can Model Cohen, M., J. March and J. Olsen. 1972

2. Two different paradigms Garbage Can Model 2 Mechanistic organizations Organized Anarchy Rationality Bounded rationality Clear & consistent preferences Undefined & inconsistent preferences Goal oriented Contextual Perfect information Incomplete information Known technology Unknow technology Certainty or risk conditions Uncertainty

3. Basic Assumptions of the model Garbage Can Model 3 Constrains: Time Energy Types of Decision By flight By oversight By resolution

4. Different Organizational Structures Garbage Can Model 4 Access Structure A : Unsegmented A 1 : Hierarchical A 2 : Specialized Decision Structure D : Unsegmented D 1 : Hierarchical D 2 : Specialized E nergy Distribution E : Important people – less energy E 1 : Equal Energy E 2 : Important people – more energy

5. Resolution is not the most common decision , exept when other decision types are restricted. Decision making is very sensitive to changes in energy levels Decision makers & problems track to each other through choices Different measures of timing are interconnected and there are some tradeoffs between them ( Problem activity, Problem latency, Decision time) The process is highly interactive Important problems are more likely to be resolved, as well as earlier problems. Important choices are made by oversight or flight . Unimportant choices are made by resolution. Choices of intermediate importance are always made . Failures are registered at the extremes. Results of the Model Garbage Can Model 5

6. University cases Garbage Can Model 6

7. Assessment Garbage Can Model 7 Organizations are far from being perfect solving-problem machines As it happens with cognitive biases, we can´t avoid organizational flaws but we need to learn to live with them The model provides some suggestions on how to structure organizations if we want to make them more effective, but there are not magic solutions since tradeoffs emerged. Deadlines and empowering decision making are other available options to improve organization’s performance.