Ernst G. Frankel has a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. in Transport Economics, an MBA in Systems Management, and a DBA in Operations Research. He has been a member of the MIT engineering and management faculty from 1962 to his retirement in 1996. He has extensive management experience and served as Technical Director of Litton Industries, Director of Engineering of Sealand Corp., Operations Advisor for the Port of Singapore, Advisory Board member of the Panama Canal Authority, director of several major shipping and logistics companies, Chairman of American President Lines, Director of Operations of Pascagoula Shipyards, Advisor to Hyundai Heavy Industries (Korea), Advisor to Mitsui Shipbuilding and Engineering (Japan), and numerous other industrial firms. He has published 18 books and over 240 refereed journal articles or papers.

Preamble - Decisions as the Lifeblood of Management and Progress; Preface; 1. INTRODUCTION: 1.1 Basic Concepts of Decision-Based Management; 1.2 Which Direction the Organization; 1.3 Changing Role of Management in the Information Age; 1.4 Organizational Needs; 1.5 Organizing to Reduce Transactional Time and Cost; 1.6 Integrating Customer-driven Choices into Timely and Effective Decisions; 2. ORGANIZING FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT IN THE POST INDUSTRIAL AGE: 2.1 Evolution of Management Organizations; 2.2 Changes in Management Requirements; 2.2.1 Futures Oriented Management; 2.2.2 Importance of Values in Well Functioning Organizations; 2.3 Understanding Organizations; 2.3.1 Person and Client Orientation of Organizations; 2.3.2 Organizational Design; 2.3.3 Transfer of Information between Decision-Makers; 2.3.4 Value Creation by Organizations; 2.3.5 Putting Meaning into Jobs; 3 DECIDING AMONG CHAOS: 3.1 The New Decision Environment; 3.2 The New Role of Technology in Decision Making; 3.2.1 Time as Productivity Enhancer; 3.2.2 Worker Feedback; 3.3 Changing Communication Needs; 3.3.1 Evaluation and Filtering Information; 3.4 The Internet Revolution of Management; 3.4.1 Intranet to Communicate Efficiently; 3.5 Organizing Decisions in the New Technological Environment; 3.5.1 Intra- and Internet Communications; 3.5.2 The New Wireless World; 3.6 Customer Relations Management (CRM); 3.7 Boundary-less Organizations; 4. DECISION DYNAMICS: 4.1 Designing Organizations; 4.2 Visioneering; 4.3 Organizational Culture; 4.4 Loyalty Factors; 4.5 The Personality of Decisions; 5. ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS AND PERFORMANCE: 5.1 Measures of Organizational Effectiveness; 5.2 Economic Performance of Organizations; 5.3 Impact of Decision Specialization; 5.4 Leadership in Decision Based Organizations; 5.5 Autonomy and Effectiveness; 5.5.1 Organizational Politics; 5.5.2 Pride and Belonging; 5.5.3 Training, Retraining, and Cross-functionalUnderstanding; 6. ORGANIZATIONAL CONTROL SYSTEMS: 6.1 Why Hierarchical Organizations are Outmoded Dynamic Challenges of Decision-based Management; 6.2.1 Leadership in Decision-based Organizations; 6.3 Communication as a Co-opting and Control System; 6.3.1 Informal and Formal Communications; 6.3.2 Interpersonal Relations; 7. DECISION-BASED MANAGEMENT: 7.1 Information Requirements for Decision-based Management; 7.2 Determining Decision Requirements; 7.3 Information Inputs Required and Outputs Generated by Decisions; 7.4 Organizing Decision Functions and Structures; 7.5 Transforming Decision Structures into Management Organizations; 7.6 Efficient Decision-Based Management; 8. IMPLEMENTING DECISION-BASED MANAGEMENT: 8.1 Challenges of a Decision-based Organization; 8.1.1 Leadership in Decision-based Organizations; 8.1.2 Identifying Decision Hierarchies and Chains; 8.2 Determining Decision Dependence and Interrelationships; 8.3 Development of Dynamic Real Time, Periodic, and Strategic Decision Structures; 8.4 Consolidating Decisions into Management Responsibilities; 8.5 Forming Lean Efficient and Dynamic Decision-Based Management Organization; 8.6 Managing by Decision Requirements; 9. DECISION-BASED MANAGEMENT AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS: 9.1 Managing Dynamic Information Flows; 9.2 Managing Information in a Paperless Real Time Environment; 10. FUTURE MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES: 10.1 Management Incentives; 10.2 Delegation of Decision-making Power to the Lowest Competent Level; 10.3 Mean, Lean, and Incentive-based Management Structures; 10.4 Motivation in Bottom-up Management Organizations; 10.5 Functional Separation and Organizational Integration of Real Time, Periodic, and Strategic Management; 10.6 Training and Education Staff; 11. PLANNING AND USING A DECISION-BASED MANAGEMENT APPROACH; 12. CONCLUSIONS: 12.1 Application and Uses; 12.2 Future of Organizational Learning;
Appendix A: Decision-based Manag

Over the years I have worked with or consulted for many managers throughout the world at all levels of industry and government. I have seen who succeeded, achieved goals, and made progress, and who failed or crashed. I have studied their methods of operation and their decision-making approach, as well as the range of people involved in the decision-making. I similarly personally managed large industrial and service organizations and their operations, and found that to succeed and have a content team of collaborators, decision-making had to be joint and delegated to the lowest competent and informed level. Using this approach not only improved the performance of the organization or firm, but also resulted in a more content, professional, cooperative, happy, and competent workforce. In general, people like to assume responsibility, particularly of functions with which they are intimately familiar. They enjoy the role of de- sion-maker and the use of their knowledge and experience in guiding their and related work. Delegation of decision-making not only infuses pride and conte- ment but also assures more informed, timely, and effective implementation of de- sions. It also adds to worker training and education as workers inquire, develop information and use of their own experience in improving their decision-making. Worker pride and feeling of control and involvement lead to contentment and s- isfaction which, in return, pays dividends in worker productivity, morale, retention, and resulting low turnover.