A TRAINING PROGRAM IN THE AREA OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND DECISION MAKING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79B00972A000100410016-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 31, 1998
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: September 5, 1969
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For ReleWs 2000/05/23 ',?U 91300972A00900410016-9
5 September 1969
Attachment
A TRAINING PROGRAM IN THE AREA OF
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR AND DECISIONMAKING
We have recently been urged by the National Security
Council Staff and the Assistant Secretary of Defense
for Systems Analysis to make more use of the growing
understanding of the decisionmaking processes in large
organizations to improve the quality of our work.
According to these two important consumers of our
product, our output of explanations and projections
of Soviet military forces seem often to be treated as
though Soviet decisions were the result of single,
rational actors. We all know in a general way that
such treatment is incomplete, and that ways of taking
the organizational and bureaucratic realities into
account probably could be developed and used more
systematically in OSR. A training program that allowed
some of our analysts to become better acquainted with
the existing knowledge in the field of organizational
behavior would be valuable in achieving this goal.
Why Is a Training Program Needed?
Normally, our analysts would be encouraged to
seek appropriate education locally in one of the univer-
sities in the Washington area. However, a survey of
Approved For Release 2000/05/23 : CIA-RDP79B00972A000100410016-9
 Approved For Release 2000/05/ 9B00972A00Q00410016-9
the locally available courses suggests that the local
offerings are inadequate. The field in any case is
still developing and the number of trained people in
it is presently rather small. Local universities
are not well supplied with professors teaching appro-
priate courses, and it appears that if our people
are to be exposed to this discipline, some special
arrangements will have to be made.
Alternatives have been considered to training our
current analysts. But since there are relatively few
trained people available, we probably cannot hire many
new people with appropriate backgrounds. We could in-
crease the use of consultants but the effectiveness of
this would be limited unless some of our own people
became more acquainted with the field of organizational
behavior and, hence, better able to use outside consul-
tants effectively. We could send some of our analysts
to graduate schools for full time external training,
but the costs would be high and the payoff period far
away in time.
Therefore, we feel that a specialized training
program for our current analysts is indicated. A pro-
posed program is described below. An additional
Approved For Release 2000/05/23 : CIA-RDP79B00972A000100410016-9
 Approved For Rele 2000/05/23 :, 00972A00@i@0410016-9
advantage of a special training program would be
that it could be conducted in-house and some portion
of it conducted on a basis which would allow full
interchange between those attending the courses and
the instructors. This should shorten the time re-
quired to get some useful payoff in the day-to-day
work of the analysts. They could explore with their
instructors particular problems of applying the in-
sights available to our work to the problems and
source materials they deal with on the job.
A Possible Training Program 25X1A5a1
would probably be
willing to organize an appropriate training program
for us. That is, they would undertake to supply
instructors who could commute
perhaps one or two afternoons a week to conduct courses
in-house. These lecturers would attempt to convey the
current state of knowledge regarding decisionmaking
processes in large organizations, organization theory,
behavioral studies of the decisionmaking process in
the firm and governmental organizations, etc. Each
session might run for about two hours but would be
agreed upon between ourselves and the people from
Approved For Release 2000/05/2 B00972A000100410016-9
 Approved For Release 2000/05/ 3 ? - { 79B00972A00Qi0410016-9
In addition to the standard course
activities, it would be possible to run a seminar or
workshop. The initiation of the latter could follow
the first semester's work when our analysts begin to
try to apply what they are learning to their immediate
problems.- These workship sessions could run for two
to three hours, one afternoon a week.
The design and content of the courses would be
25X1A5a1
undertaken by the people with the help
of some experts in this field who have already been
involved directly in an attempt to apply knowledge of 25X1A5a1
organizational behavior to our problems,
25X1A5a1
is already a consultant25X1A5a1
to our Agency and would be available to help and advise
us in other ways.
It would probably be best if the course were
approached as a graduate seminar from the beginning.
The faculty in the course would prescribe readings
and materials. Sessions for the most part would mini-
mize lectures and emphasize discussion. In particular,
participants would be urged to bring specific problems
to the sessions and the teaching would be done through
having the participants apply the material of the day
Approved For Release 2000/05/23 : CIA-RDP79B00972A000100410016-9
 Approved For Rele:2000/ 00972A00(0410016-9
to their specific problems. This method of handling
the course would insure that participants would be able
to use organization theory in their work. Thus, each
session would be based on the assumption that prior
reading assignments had been done by the participants
and that they were prepared with problems for class
discussion. Among the topics of relevance that could
be covered, the following seem appropriate:
(1) The interactive effect of environment,
organizational structure, organizational task,
and individual goals and strategies on organiza-
tional behavior.
(2) Decisionmaking processes in organizations;
the effect of organizational structure, procedures,
career programs, etc.
(3) Intergroup relations (the determinants
and effects of cooperation and competition be-
tween groups, including an intergroup exercise
as part of the program.
(4) Interpersonal relations in organizations.
The major impact of organization theory is on a
man's understanding of why particular things that he
observes happen in organizations. The course should
enable the participants to function more effectively
-5-
Approved For Release 2000/05/23 : CIA-RDP79B00972A000100410016-9
 Approved For Relea 2000/05/201,r- 9B00972A00 10410016-9
within this Agency as well as put them in a position
to interpret the data of other organizations more
effectively. There is relatively little in organiza-
tion theory in the way of established principles that
would enable participants to change organizations in
some optimal fashion--although progress is being made
in this area. The major benefits will come from an
ability to see phenomena from a new viewpoint and in
a way that will give new insights into organizations
and the individual actors in those organizations.
Cost Estimate
In terms of a budget based on a 15-week course
meeting one day a week, I would see it as something
like the following: 25X1A1b a
Faculty salaries
Faculty expenses (travel,
meals, etc.)
Books and materials (per student)
Secretarial expenses
As with any budget, the estimates are crude, but
probably not far out of line with actual cost.
Approved For Release 2000/05/23 CIA-RDP79B00972A000100410016-9