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JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT POLICY AND PRACTICE
Pretended Agreement in Decision Making: Exploring the Abilene Paradox in
Uganda
Author(s): Vincent Amooti Bagire
Citation: Vincent Amooti Bagire, (2010) "Pretended Agreement in Decision Making: Exploring the Abilene Paradox in Uganda," Journal of Management Policy and Practice, Vol. 11, Iss. 5, pp. 106 - 113
Article Type: Research paper
Publisher: North American Business Press
Abstract:
The author highlights the phenomena of pretended agreement or failure to manage agreement in decision
making, drawing from Harvey (1988) in what is popularized as the Abilene Paradox. It is a situation of
organizational members failing to manage intrapersonal differences with a group decision. With gaps in
team work and communication, members agree when individually they don’t. A case of academic staff is
illustrated. We discuss the symptoms and possible solutions, providing insights for further studies in
various contexts. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the International Academy of African
Business and Development conference, May 2009.
