Trappings of expertise and the pursuit of failure
Simulation and Gaming - Special issue: simulation of information systems, part 2
Human Problem Solving
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Managerial effectiveness in dealing with ill-structured decision situations is compared across hierarchy levels using a long-duration, multifaceted, and complex computerized simulation. Forty-five managers from a large Indian metal-processing unit employing more than 4,000 managers in 11 levels and 50,000 staff in 9 levels and offering lifelong employment participated in the study. Data of 20 managers were finally analyzed. Results revealed that middle-level managers faced several crises while dealing with the simulated task and ended up with highly unfavorable outcomes, and were significantly less effective as compared to frontline and senior managers. Frontline managers were as effective as the seniors and even better than them with respect to some of the measures employed. Examining the career profile of participant managers, reasons for the observed performance pattern are explored. The article ends with a reflective narration of the author's experiences in conducting a complex computerized simulation study in the Asian-Indian context.