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DECISIONAL ONTOLOGY THEORY (A Theoretical Framework on Understanding Organisational Existence Through the Primacy of Decision)

Nwabuatu, Emmanuel Nnajiubah. Ph.D

Abstract

This paper introduces and develops Decisional Ontology Theory as a novel theoretical framework in organizational science, proposing that the very being and existence of an organization is constituted by, and irreducibly dependent upon, the continuous stream of decisions emanating from its leadership and operative members. Departing from structural, institutional, and resource-based perspectives on organizational existence, Decisional Ontology Theory advances five cardinal propositions: (1) that organizations are the cumulative product of a series of decisions; (2) that organizational sustenance is perpetually maintained through successive decision-making; (3) that organizational life or death is directly determined by the quality of leadership decisions; (4) that organizational survival mandates a steady supply of competent decision-makers; and (5) that the absence of such decision-makers precipitates organizational demise. Drawing on philosophy of being, systems theory, complexity theory, and strategic management literature, Decisional Ontology Theory offers a departure point from existing theories by locating decisional agency at the ontological core of organizational reality. The theory carries significant implications for leadership development, succession planning, organizational design, and the broader question of institutional longevity.

Keywords

Decisional OntologyOrganizational ExistenceDecision TheoryLeadership CompetenceOrganizational OntologyStrategic Decision-MakingOrganizational Identity

References

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