Decision Making Styles 1
Theory: Decision Making Styles
“Decision making style has been defined as ‘a habitual pattern individuals use in decision
making’ (Driver, 1979) or individuals’ characteristic mode of perceiving and responding to
decision-making tasks” (Harren 1979). Scott and Bruce (1995) defined decision making style as,
“the learned, habitual response pattern exhibited by an individual when confronted with a
decision situation.” “Driver, Brousseau and Hunsaker (1990) posited that decision-making style
is defined by the amount of information gathered and the number of alternatives considered
when making a decision, although others suggests that it refers to differences in the way
individuals make sense of the data they gather” (Scott, Bruce).
Theorists: Vincent A. Harren, Susanne G. Scott University of Colorado Springs; Reginald A.
Bruce, University of Louisville;Mike Hulderman, Ph.D
Description of Theory:
Vincent Harren is considered the creator of the decision-making styles model. Harren studied the
process college students use to decide which career to choose. His model became known as the
model of career decision-making style. Harren identified three styles of decision-making:
dependent, rational and intuitive. The people with the dependent style seemed to prefer to make
their decision based on information from another source. In other words, their decision was
“dependent” upon additional information, other people, etc.
The rational style indicated that the decision maker tended to take a logical approach. These
people may use tools such as a T-chart or some other method of logically determining a decision.
Decision Making Styles 2
The intuitive style indicated that these decision makers relied upon feelings or intuition. They
thought that making decisions based on a “gut” feeling was appropriate.
Many other models have been used since but the one that this author finds most revealing is the
one developed by Dr. Michael Hulderman. Hulderman studied the decision-making styles of
police officers. He used the survey created to determine the General Decision Making Styles
(GDMS) and discovered four, rather than three, distinct clusters. Rather than offer behaviorally
descriptive names of the clusters, he named the four styles after four fictional law enforcement
officers: Marshall Matt Dillon, Lieutenant Columbo, Sheriff Andy Taylor, and Sergeant Joe
Friday.
In Michael Hulderman’s study on decision making styles of police officers he notes that, “Harren
(1979) developed a career decision making model characterizing decision makers as having three
distinct decision making styles: Rational, Intuitive and Dependent. Hulderman, using a series of
cluster analyses, determined that there were actually four distinct decision making styles. The
decision-making characteristics of the Marshall Dillon style were, “police officers who believe
impulsive decisions are occasionally okay but postponing decision making should be avoided”
(Hulderman, p. 144).
Columbo’s decision making style could be described as “impulsive decisions are occasionally
okay and postponing decision making may sometimes be necessary” (Hulderman, p. 144).
Sheriff Andy Taylor seemed to possess a style believing that impulsive decisions should be
avoided and trusting one’s inner feelings and instincts in good” (Hulderman, p. 144). The style of
Sergeant Joe Friday would indicate an officer who believed that “impulsive decisions should be
avoided and trusting their inner feeling and instincts should be avoided” (Hulderman, p. 145).
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Diagram of the Hulderman Model of Decision Making:
Impulsive Decisions
Are Occasionally
Okay if Inner
Feelings Tell Me to
Go With Them
Should be Avoided
Postponing
Decision Making
Should be Avoided
Marshall
Dillon
May Sometimes
Be Necessary
Trusting Your
Inner Feelings
and Instincts
Lieutenant
Columbo
Is Generally
Good in Decision
Making
Modified from Hulderman’s
Dissertation, Decision-making
Styles and Learning Strategies of
Police Officers: Implications for
Community Policing (2003).
Sheriff Andy
Taylor
Should
Generally be
Avoided
Sergeant Joe
Friday
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Theory Measurement/Instrumentation:
Hulderman (Year) states, “GDMS was developed by Susanne Scott and Reginald Bruce in order
to provide researchers with a ‘generally available, psychometrically sound instrument for
measuring decision style’” (Hulderman, p. 100) The instrument is a 25 question survey using a 5
point Likert scale. Scott and Bruce used factor analyses to establish construct validity from a
sample of 1,943 respondents (Hulderman, p. 101).
A copy of the instrument is provided in the appendix.
Report Prepared by:
Pat Calhoun
References
Harren, V. A. (1979). A model of career decision making for college students. Journal of
Vocational Behavior, 14, 119 – 133.
Scott, S. G., & Bruce, R. A. (1995). Decision-making style: The development and assessment of
a new measure. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 55, (5a), 818 - 831.
Hulderman, Michael Andrew (2003) Decision-making styles and learning strategies of police
officers: Implications for community policing. Ed.D. dissertation, Oklahoma State
University, United States -- Oklahoma. Retrieved September 19, 2008, from Dissertations
& Theses @ Oklahoma State University - Stillwater database. (Publication No. AAT
3094056).
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Appendix A