Authors

• Mohammad Sheikhzade ¹
• Rajabali Sheikhzade ²

¹ PhD Student, School of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² PhD student in Management, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Some take management as equal to decision–making, since a major part of a manager’s duty to conduct an organization is to make appropriate decisions in different conditions. Every manager makes a rational decision according to the situations he is involved in. In management theories, there exist a lot of issues dealing with decision – making and this article is to survey the roots of rationality there. First, there is a definition of reason and rationality. Then comes a historical background of the two as understood by ancient, medieval and later philosophers. Also, different kinds of rationality in social and philosophical discourses are explained. Max Weber’s special status in such discourses and his idea of bureaucracy makes us dedsicate part of the discussion to him. Furthermore, an instance of rationalization of societies, what we may call the MacDonald type process in the world, is given. Finally, the status of rationality in the theory of organization and especially the decision–making issues are examined.

Keywords

• rationality
• process of rationalization
• kinds of rationality
• the stiff cage of rationality
• rational model for decision
• making

20.1001.1.23830891.1386.1.1.7.4