This work approaches a study about the substantive rationality on decision making process in two institutions dealing with children and teenagers cancer treatment in the city of Natal, state of Rio Grande do Norte. As of a literature review on substantive rationality, the goal of the research is to bring to knowledge aspects related to decision making process which may serve as a basis to ellaborate categories of analysis on decision making process, aggregating them to a new study which may provide progress of the theme in administrative science. The academic researches that followed the analysis model created by Maurício Serva served as a basis to probe such theme, which verifies the predominant rationality in eleven administrative process which are internal in productive organizations. As a theoretical basis, the research has studied the work of Guerreiro Ramos which finds the existence of a type of ideal organization; and it also calls upon the thoughts of Karl Polanyi, who intends to understand the independent economical phenomenon of the value which enables to consider non-market economies. To better comprehend the rationality, the study rescues the research of Max Weber, who investigates the meaning of social action, and also Jürgen Habermas', in which there is a broader concept of the reason through comunicative action theory. As a result of the theme's review, it has been ellaborated a board with seven analysis categories, that when applied in the researched institutions, enabled to know the prodominant rationality in decision making process. The results of the study confirmed that, although the decision involves rational elements, there are also specific values of each individual that are connected to his/her personal experience and point of view, permeated not only by instrumental rationality, but also by substantive rationality. The study has verified that two institutions which belong to the same section may present different types of rationality in decision making, when decision making factors may tend to instrumental rationality, according to the classic theory of administration, as well as it can emerge from substantive rationality, contributing to the process of emancipation of the human being in work environment.
rationality; decision making; isonomy; analysis categories
