Question

what process would explain increasing the amount of budget for an on-going project on which managers received feedback that it was destined for failure?

• the garbage can model
• flexible decision style
• escalating commitment
• organized anarchy

Explanation:

🆕 New Concept Discovered: Escalation of Commitment
Doubling down on a failing decision.

Step 1: Analyze the scenario

The question describes a situation where managers receive feedback that an ongoing project is "destined for failure." Instead of stopping or redirecting the project, they decide to increase the budget allocated to it.

Step 2: Define the options

• The garbage can model: A model of organizational decision-making where problems, solutions, participants, and choices flow randomly and mix together, rather than following a rational sequence.
• Flexible decision style: A decision-making style characterized by adaptability, where individuals use minimal information to find multiple acceptable solutions and change course easily.
• Escalating commitment (also known as escalation of commitment): A human behavior pattern in which an individual or group facing increasingly negative outcomes from a decision, action, or investment nevertheless continues the behavior instead of altering course. They "throw good money after bad" to justify the initial investment.
• Organized anarchy: An organization characterized by problematic preferences, unclear technology, and fluid participation (closely linked to the garbage can model).

Step 3: Match the scenario to the correct concept

Increasing the budget for a project that is known to be failing is a classic example of escalating commitment. Managers continue to invest resources into a failing course of action to justify their past decisions and avoid admitting failure.

Answer:

Escalating commitment