The BIG Activity: Using Generative AI for Hybrid Strategic Decision-Making with Business Students

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is an increasingly important tool used for decision-making across business careers. AI-driven decision-making can identify new approaches to efficiency, innovation, and value creation. Despite its promise, AI has not been widely integrated into business school curricula. Thus, there is a growing gap between the skills that students gain in business school and the AI skills that are needed once they move into their professional careers. This paper aims to bridge some of this gap by introducing the Business Idea Generation (BIG) Activity, a hybrid decision-making activity that combines Generative AI (GenAI) with human intuition for strategic decision-making. Through this experiential activity, students gain practical experience leveraging GenAI for cognitively complex tasks typical for strategic management. The study contributes by demonstrating hybrid decision-making in strategic management education, providing insights into the post-search process of decision-making, and showcasing GenAI’s potential in handling complex cognitive tasks.