Organizations as Information Processing Systems. Environmental Characteristics, Company Performance, and Chief Executive Scanning: An Empirical Study

摘要

Chief executives in fifty manufacturing companies were interviewed about the perceived strategic uncertainty in six environmental sectors, and the frequency and mode of scanning used for each sector. The findings suggest customer, economic, and competitor sectors generated greater strategic uncertainty than technological, regulatory, and socio-cultural sectors. When sector uncertainty was high, executives reported greater frequency of scanning and greater use of personnal information sources. Chief executives in high performing companies scanned more frequently and more broadly in response to strategic uncertainty than their counterparts in low performing companies.