How Do Today’s Managers use the quantitative approach?
The quantitative approach has contributed directly to management decision making in the areas of planning and control. For instance, when managers make budgeting, scheduling, quality control, and similar decisions, they typically rely on quantitative techniques. The availability of sophisticated computer software programs to aid in developing models, equations, and formulas has made the use of quantitative techniques somewhat less intimidating for managers, although they must still be able to interpret the results. The quantitative approach, although important in its own way, has not influenced management practice as much as the next one we’re going to discuss–organizational behavior–for a number of reasons. These include the fact that many managers are unfamiliar with and intimidated by quantitative tools, behavioral problems are more widespread and visible, and it is easier for most students and managers to relate to real, day-to-day people problems than to the more abstract activity