The role of individuals in the information processing perspective

Researchers' primary concern with respect to the information processing perspective has been to understand how structural features influence the organization's ability to draw upon and utilize information for resolving problems, ignoring the primary role of individuals as the information p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Strategic management journal 2012-06, Vol.33 (6), p.661-680
Main Authors: Turner, Karynne L., Makhija, Mona V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Card sorting
Corporate strategies
Design of experiments
Experiments
Individuals
Information processing
Information relevance
Knowledge management
Management science
organic and mechanistic structures
Organizational behavior
Organizational behaviour
Organizational communication
Organizational structure
Problem solving
Stalkers
Studies
Technological innovation
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Summary:Researchers' primary concern with respect to the information processing perspective has been to understand how structural features influence the organization's ability to draw upon and utilize information for resolving problems, ignoring the primary role of individuals as the information processors within the organization. To shed light on this issue, we employ a quasiexperimental design to examine the effects of two structural types, organic and mechanistic, on individuals ' gathering, interpretation, and synthesis of information and, in turn, their problemsolving orientation. Holding the external context constant, our evidence shows that individuals do process information differently under the two structural types, which then leads to different comfort levels in dealing with organizational problems. These findings highlight the importance of considering the microfoundations of the information processing perspective.
ISSN:0143-2095
1097-0266
DOI:10.1002/smj.1970