Decision Making Delay: Additional Resources

These references supplement the Knowledge Base Essay, Decision Making Delay.

Additional Explanations of the Underlying Concepts:

Online (Web) Sources

Strategic Delays.
Available at: http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/problem/sdelay.htm [Backup Link]
Often democratic decision making processes designed to resolve short-term disputes can be deliberately delayed by parties wishing to avoid a potentially unfavorable decision. The resulting delays can allow people who oppose change to win without ever having to demonstrate the superiority of their position. This page offers a summarized definition of the strategic delays as well as several examples of the tactic.

Offline (Print) Sources

Lewicki, Roy J., David Saunders and John Minton. "Manipulating the Costs of Delay." In Negotiation, 3rd Edition. Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin-McGraw Hill, 1999. Pages: 83-84.
This excerpt of Negotiation discusses strategies for manipulating the costs of delaying decision making in a distributive bargaining situation. Parties to negotiation often use delay or stall tactics to increase the pressure on the other side to make decisions. Primary Link

Susskind, Lawrence and Jeffrey Cruikshank. "Obstacles to Decision Making." In Breaking the Impasse: Consensual Approaches to Resolving Public Disputes. New York: Basic Books, January 1, 1987. Pages: 35-39.
This excerpt of Breaking the Impasse discusses some of the problems with the United States' system of representative democracy, namely the numerous options available for delaying decisions. The authors cite lobbying as one of the prime culprits delaying legislative decisions in the United States. Primary Link

"Time and Delay in Negotiation." In The Art and Science of Negotiation: How to Resolve Conflicts and Get the Best out of Bargaining. Cambridge: Belknap Press, January 1, 1998. Pages: 78-90.
Chapter Six of this work focuses on the role of time in negotiation and includes discussions related to the issue of delay.

Return to Top