Reading 1.

3
Jackall (1988)
Looking Up and Looking Around
Abstract
Managers, engineers and directors are the foundation and key players of
companies and organisations. Their day to day tasks involves making decisions
and judging others ideas and thoughts for the good of the organisations and also
to the individual. Well engineered and routine decisions and judgment will be
beneficial to the organisation. However, when mangers fail to follow the
procedures and their decisions are non-routine their reactions and body language
changes dramatically. Consequently costing the organisation a big amount of
money and furthermore, negative media exposure.
Top level managers are in better positions to make decisions predominantly of
the assigned power given by the organisation. These managers are quite
successfull since they move around the organisation quite often and the mess
they created can never be tracked. On the other hand, middle and lower
managers see themselves as just paid puppets of the organisations.
Subsequently such middle and lower mangers are reluctant in making their own
decisions and often try to cover themselves. Furthermore, they are always afraid
of putting their decision in writing and present it to their seniors. Moreover, they
participate in group decisions to avoid the trouble and easily slip away when
trouble is sensed. To solve such problems guideposts such as numerical
measures and other technical tools are introduced but never the less they stay
as guide posts or sense nothing.
Top level managers are using unethical modes within organisations to receive
financial bonuses and to maintain their reputation. To show healthy return on
assets, mangers reduce maintenance cost while keeping sales to its best level.
Subsequently forgetting, the risk the low maintained assets carry to employees
and to the organisations as a whole. Furthermore, when such practises are
carried out for short period is often referred to as starving a plant and when
done for longer span is called milking a plant.
Personal Experience
Due to management pressure I usually avoid getting involved in decision making
and step down in owning responsibility. More often I appreciate getting involved
in group decision making. In that way I can easily point at others when I have a
gut decisions to make. Furthermore, engineers are often approached by others to
give some advice and solutions to a problem. I feel comfortable giving a verbal
advice rather than putting it into writing and authenticating. My colleague
engineer working a different project, once asked me to verify the size and type of
pipes that can be used for underground for depths greater than 5 meters. I read
some documents and found the relevant information and passed in the
information to him. However, he wanted to me email him summarised

information. Eventually bidding me that I took the decision. However I was

reluctant to do so and gave him and excuse and slipped away from making that
decision.

Reading 5.2
Beyond Discrete Biases: Functional and Dysfunctional Aspects of Judgmental
Heuristics
Robin M. Hogarth
Abstract
For a system to function efficiently and effectively feedback process needs to be
in place. Feedback from users and owners are crucial in the functioning of a
system. Furthermore, feedback provides information which needs to be
processed and analysed. The accuracy of the feedback is necessary in the
process since not all the feedback collected is genuine and relevant.
Furthermore, several judgments can be made but the choosing the right one is a
critical analogy. It is just like a shooting game, judgements can represent aiming
the target and choice represents the selected point to be targeted. However, to
reduce the effort further, commitment is required to concentrate on a particular
target. Commitment is also necessary to differentiate between judgement and
choice because sometimes in personal experience the difference between
judgement and choice is negligible.
Learning is very important in every aspects of nature. We need to learn when we
have the intention that we are incompetent at something or something needs to
be improved. Therefore, learning uses feedback to identify the loop holes and
hence create a path for a research. After a sufficient research or several trial and
error methods, learning courses can be created to educate the users and
eventually fill the loop holes. Thus, this will be a continuous process. Educated
users will provide more relevant feedback and the process continuous to improve
the system. Considering the above fact, care has to be taken to avoid errors in
judgement and decision making. Since, some systems are typically designed for
users to make errors which they would not do naturally. Such biases indicate that
people can do well even in systematically designed biased system.
Personal Experience
In my work place we have introduced new software to manage projects and to
analyse costing of each project. We were thoroughly trained to use the software,
but eventually so many loop holes are created and the software does not work
the way it is supposed to. To improve the system a feedback strategy was
created. That is, each and every user was to provide feedback on the software
either being biased or unbiased. The feedback was then processed and several
approaches were brought up to solve the loop holes. Selective approaches were
chosen and users are to commit on this selected approaches on how to further
manage the loop holes. This has created a continuous process of learning and
providing feedback and eventually improving the management of projects.
Furthermore, some biased aspects of the management were created by some
reluctant managers and engineers.

Reading 6.1
The Science of Muddling Through
CHARLES E. LINDBLOM (1959)
Abstract
When creating policies in an inflated environment, it is important to list down all
the important factors that would affect the policy directly or indirectly. Some of
the crucial factors listed by author are full employment, business profit, savings
and protection of stock market crash. Lindblom uses a system approach to policy
formation. However, to understand the process of decision making policies
makers and political scientist use comparative approach. What I learn from this
article is that decisions can be made utilising several analysis methods such as
root verses branch, evaluation and empirical analysis, testing and hypothesis,
ends and means. However I found that incremental analysis has an advantage in
determining policies. It is a common practise for theorist to research for source of
problematic events and recommends relevant policies. However, professionals
need immediate practical advice and by the time researchers are looking for
policies professionals would have moved several steps head of them.
There is nothing like a perfect policy. Just as humans are at some stage imperfect
policies are too. Policies are refined and changed over and over again to suit the
required environment for example life insurance policy. Just as the environment
changes and the risk of surviving decreases the policies keeps on changing to
accommodate the necessary risks. However, the changes to policies are done in
increments to avoid drastic changes and avoid confusions. The analogy of policy
making is said to be rough and an estimated process. It is very hard for policy
makers to master the environment and make policy accordingly. Hence, no policy
maker expects that their policy will be successful as expected. If they do through
incremental changes, they can avoid several mistakes to further make it perfect.
Personal Experience
Within the company I work for, we have an Integrated Management System or
IMS. The IMS has several policies such environmental policy, quality policy,
safety policy and procurement policy just to name few. When the company was
performing well in the market and wanted to expand the IMS was introduced.
With the IMS several policies as listed above were drafted and introduced within
the company. These polices were not perfect at the beginning neither they are
right now. However, with time they have being changing to suit the required
industrial regulations. We have an IMS team, in which I am a team member as
well. My role is to make sure the work sites comply by the policy and the also to
report any bleaches to the policy. Every year during the annual audit the policies
are incrementally audited to suit the current environment by the accredited
auditor.

Reading 8.3
Management Consultants: Systems development, power and the translation of
problems
Bloomfield and Best (1992)
Abstract
Humans have evolved millions of years ago and in the same way the technology
is ever also evolving. In the past decade or so Information Technology (IT) has
penetrated in each and every sector humans come across. Therefore, an
organisation without IT today just does not sound familiar to anyone. Hence
managements are using the power to either introduce IT into their system or are
trying to upgrade the out dated IT system they are running on. Despite the IT
system being expensive, time consuming and complicated the rate of system
failure exceeds the success rates.
In the development process of an IT system in the organisation the IT
professionals are given full power over the users. At times the users object to the
developed system but the IT professional over rule the power since the design,
content and features of the IT system are under their control. Furthermore, the IT
professionals increases the power barrier by creating organisation IT structures
and routine check-ups which gives them legal right to over write the users.
IT managers and professional take advantage of power when they are given the
task of find a problem and also give possible solutions. The translation of power
occurs when possible problems are found and further on solutions are presented.
The IT professionals deem to comply the manager that the problem encountered
has so many solutions and cost and time frame involved to implement. Biasedly
arguing that the problem is never ending problem and it required further IT
upgrades and more technical advices. The IT professional use this as an
opportunity to create a strategy to solve the problem. If the organisations
implement the strategy they get looked for years under external IT powers.
Personal Experience
I have personally used the power in developing and implementing IT system at
some stage. It might not be at extreme level but to some extent it is called
power. I was asked to set up a password in the project management software
that we use manage projects. This software is used by all employees that is,
accountant, engineers, managers, director and many others. Hence the software
is integrated software and not all departments need access to all parts of the
software. Therefore, for accountants need access to accounting details and
engineers need access to project management section and the director need all
access. Eventually, I created a hierarchical password, such that certain logins
and password can only give the employee access to nominated section of the
software only. If someone was to upgrade their access they had to get permission
from the director and present it to me. If I evaluate to be feasible I would then
upgrade the access or else complain to director for giving unnecessary approval.

Reading 4.1
A Reappraisal of Probabilistic Rick Analysis
John Whittaker (1991)
In our everyday life knowingly or unknowingly we take risks. Sometimes they are
calculated risks or at times just a thoughtful one. However, professional have
taken risks seriously and at some stage they have introduced the study of risks
into education. Some universities have units or courses on risk engineering or
risk analysis or risk assessments and so on. Furthermore, all the industrial
workplace is taking risk analysis or assessment seriously and a priority practise.
In construction industries engineers are required to assess risk on daily basis and
document them. After analysis the risk are ranked in terms of numbers saying
that 1 is lowest possible risk and 10 being highest possible risks. After which
possible precautions are introduced to lower the risk factors and when this
precautions are implemented the risk factor can possibly be lowered to around 2
or 4.
Some risks can be classified has Probably Not risks. For example, what is the risk
that someone will hit a lion or an elephant while driving from Sydney to
Melbourne? The obvious answer is probably zero. On the other hand, what is the
risk that someone will hit a kangaroo while driving from Sydney to Adelaide?
Possibly 7 or 8 out of 10.
When risks is taken has a scientific factor and used by professionals to measure
the chances of survival it is referred as Probabilistic Rick Analysis. Engineers and
scientists come together to reduce risks in the selected system. The failure rates
and possible threats in the system are analysed and prototyped. Numerous trials
and modelling are undertaken by various engineers under different
circumstances. Upon successful events, possible solutions are introduced and
implemented within the system.
Personal Experience
Being a civil engineer, facing risks and minimising to a reasonable factor are our
daily job. Beyond professional career, we take risks in our day to day life. Driving
from home to work and vice versa is a risk, however it is reduced by driving
safely, servicing car regularly and observing traffic laws. Furthermore, to protect
our shelves from financial risk we take several insurance such comprehensive car
insurance, compulsory third party insurance personal life insurance. Besides this,
when we buy electronic gadgets we are taking a big risk. We question our
shelves, what are the chances this gadget will malfunction after I purchase and
the seller will not refund the money. To take advantage of this, manufactures
provide warranties. Further on the retailers provide extended warranty to further
reduce that risk of losing the money just in case the gadget malfunctions after
the manufacturers warranty expires.