The Role of Utility Analysis in the Strategic Management of Organizations

Abstract

To many observers, the area of utility analysis appears disjointed, unfocused, and they wonder where it is going. Despite the fact that there is almost 20 years of experience with utility analysis since researchers brought it into the modern era, this approach to cost/benefit analysis has not caught on widely and it is not a standard procedure in the assessment of HR interventions. I argue that utility analysis remains an appropriate area of inquiry, but currently it suffers from three broad sets of problems: (1)from an applied research perspective there is often a failure to focus on critical, value‐adding activities that managers regard as relevant and important to their own success; (2) inability to communicate the results of utility analyses in a persuasive, credible manner to operating executives; and (3) technical problems, both theoretical and operational. In my view, none of these is insurmountable, but we must address each one in a systematic manner if the potential of utility analysis to help guide organizational decision making is to be realized in practice.

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