Leadership decision making and the use of data

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Intelligence gathering, or data collection, is a preliminary and critical stage of decision making. Two key approaches to intelligence gathering are “discovery” and “idea imposition.” The discovery approach allows us to learn about possibilities by gathering intelligence in order to identify and weigh options. The idea imposition approach limits intelligence gathering and focuses resources on promoting a solution. The purpose of this study is to explore the intelligence-gathering stage of organizational leaders during decision making from both of these perspectives and to begin to identify themes as they relate to the data considered, types of decisions and outcomes sought, and level of confidence in decision-making success.