Defective Decisions

• The decision by the Union Carbide to shut the plant refrigeration with the aim of cutting costs.
• The decision by the UCIL to neglect isolating the processing pipeline by the slip blind before cleaning the system
• The UCIL’s decision of switching of the Vent gas Scrubber machine.

Psychological tendencies

Illusion of Control

This psychological tendency where people think they are immune to risks. For instance, the scenario where managers tend to assume possible damages their firm might have on society. They imagine that the damages their firm has on the people are not as massive as that of other companies. In other words,A company or organization can lightly look at possible damages the company can cause the society but end up assuming that this can barely happen, hence neglecting vital processes of prevention. For instance, the decision by President Kennedy on invading Cuba proved disastrous since it was wrong for the president to have assumed the battle outcomes. Concerning the bipolar disaster, for instance, an illusion of control is what could have clouded the mind of the Union Carbide management to have ordered the closure of the refrigeration. For one, the Union Carbide through the illusion of control had assumed the possible risks which could have occurred in case the refrigeration was off. It is for a fact that the Union was fully aware of the lethal gas (Methyl Isocyanate) the plant was operating on. Another example that can best explain this tendency is the assertion of executives underestimating the vitality of events, hence coming to understand through experience. However, assuming that the risk if possibly occurred in the plant, could not be dense hence shutting off the refrigeration could help cut the costs. This decision turned out to be the worst since had the refrigeration been on, it could have helped in reducing heat during the reaction process of the MIC gas and water.

Illusion of Optimism

According to Bazerman people live an illusive dream of overestimating the good things that will happen to them while underestimating the possibility of the bad too taking place. For instance, he talks of the optimism of the US’ leaders believing that they could win the Pacific fleet which they did not. This fact goes to the extent of many people considering themselves immune to risks hence exposing not only the company but also the people to hazards. Another example of this tendency is the sinking of the Herald of Free Enterprise ferry that sank due to a simple act of leaving the bow doors open. In the bipolar tragedy, it is possible that the optimism tendency is what had driven the UCIL managers as well as workers to assume the need to isolate the processing pipeline with the slip blind. The presence of this slip blind could have stopped the water from moving into the gas chambers had it been considered and embraced in the daily cleaning routine. However, with the employees having assumed that the water could never go up into the gas chambers, they saw the isolating process as being tiresome given the fact that it was a process that could take up to two hours. In other words, the UCIL managers and employees were optimistic of the profits the company was bringing forgetting to check out for possible risks that the same company could have for the people if the plant system were not operated on carefully.

Undervaluing Collective Outcomes

When relating this fact to the bipolar gas tragedy, it is evident that the turning off of the Vent Gas Scrubber machine by the UCIL was a decision that undervalued collective outcomes. In most case, most of the managers have a tendency of ignoring the collective outcomes in making decisions that affect the organization. The UCIL undervalues the possible outcomes of turning of the vent gas machine which plays a significant role in the neutralization of the lethal gas released into the atmosphere. The vent machine had not been operating for quite some time because the company assumed that this machine was of less importance. However, this tendency had a negative impact on the UCIL management decision since had the Vent Gas machine been on, then the lethal gas released in the atmosphere could have been neutralized reducing its harmful nature to the people and the environment as a whole. This is similar to the situation Bazerman speaks of. A chemical firm releasing its waste in the lake an act that pollutes the lake and negatively affects the firm’s reputation.

References

Do you need high quality Custom Essay Writing Services?