Beyond Black and White - A qualitative study exploring the interplay between intuition and rationality in decision making

Abstract

The interplay between intuition and rationality plays a big role in decision-making but is often underexplored in organisational contexts. Traditional literature views treat these modes of thought as mutually exclusive and contradictory elements, yet recent studies suggest they are complementary, especially in complex and unpredictable settings. This study aims to contribute to the gap in understanding how intuition and rationality interact in decision-making processes within an organisation. We draw on a qualitative study on Company X – an energy company located in Sweden – where data were collected through semi-structured interviews with employees across various hierarchical levels, supplemented by document analysis. Our findings suggest that decision-making processes within organisations exist along a dynamic spectrum where intuition and rationality coexist and influence each other. Decisions typically blend rational and intuitive approaches, influenced by the decision-maker's experience, data availability, time constraints, differing contexts, and the nature of the decision. With this study we argue that the interplay of intuition and rationality within a decision-making process takes place on a dynamic spectrum, which organisations should recognize with an aim to enhance decision-making by leveraging the strengths of both rational analysis and intuitive insight.