Journal
Metropolitan Journal of Academic Multidisciplinary Research
MJAMR
Decision Making Is a Choice but an Impulse Decision May Not Be the Best Choice: A Case Study of Ugandan CEOs
Akampurira Sarah, Magala Muhammed
| Journal | Metropolitan Journal of Academic Multidisciplinary Research (MJAMR) |
| Volume / Issue | Vol. 5, No. 4 |
| Published | 30 April 2026 |
| ISSN | 3006-4384 |
Abstract
This article examined the decision-making processes of chief executive officers operating within Ugandan private and public sector organizations, with a particular focus on the conditions under which impulsive decision-making emerged, the organizational contexts that facilitated or constrained such decisions, and the consequences of impulse-driven executive choices for organizational performance and stakeholder welfare. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with sixty-two CEOs drawn from diverse sectors including banking, manufacturing, telecommunications, agriculture, and public utilities, the study revealed that impulsive decision-making was both more prevalent and more consequential in the Ugandan corporate context than existing decision theory frameworks had predicted. The research identified a distinctive set of cultural, structural, and psychological factors that heightened the propensity for impulsive executive decision-making in Uganda, including high power distance organizational cultures, weak board governance, the personalization of organizational authority in executive figures, and the specific psychological pressures generated by Uganda's volatile economic and political environment. The findings suggested that while impulsive decisions occasionally produced positive outcomes through the exploitation of fleeting market opportunities, the systematic preference for speed over deliberation in executive decision-making had been associated with poor organizational performance, high staff turnover, financial mismanagement, and reputational damage across the organizations studied.
Keywords
Decision Making
Choice and Impulse Decision
Cite This Article
Akampurira Sarah & Magala Muhammed (2026). Decision Making Is a Choice but an Impulse Decision May Not Be the Best Choice: A Case Study of Ugandan CEOs. Metropolitan Journal of Academic Multidisciplinary Research, 5(4). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=556
More in This Issue
View full issue →
11
Effect Of Employee Personality Traits On Service Delivery By National Water And Sewerage Corporation
Employee
Personality Traits
Service Delivery and National Water And Sewerage Corporation
12
Effect Of Social Media Marketing On Business Performance Of Smes In Kampala, Uganda
Social Media Marketing
SME Performance
Kampala
Uganda
13
Evaluating the effectiveness of Practical-Based Instruction on Secondary School Students’ Academic Achievement and Retention in Genetics in Ekiti, Nigeria
Academic Achievements
Genetics
Practical based Instruction
Retention
14
External Audit Practices And Organizational Growth: The Case Of Kyegegwa District Local Government
External audit
compliance audit
performance audit
financial audit
15
Financial Inclusion And Growth Of Small And Medium Enterprises In Uganda: A Case Study Of Kampala SME’s
Financial Inclusion
SME Growth
Kampala
Uganda