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Uncertainty, Social Location and Influence in Decision Making: A Sociometric Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Michael L. Tushman

    (Columbia University)

  • Elaine Romanelli

    (Columbia University)

Abstract

This research investigates the relative impacts of formal status and informal communication roles on influence in administrative and technical decision making. While external information enters the organization via boundary spanning individuals, the exercise of influence at lower levels of the organization is dependent on mediating critical organizational contingencies. As the locus of task uncertainty shifts, so too does the relative influence of boundary spanning individuals and internal stars; the greater the task and environmental uncertainty, the greater the influence of boundary spanning individuals. Senior management are influential across task areas. The formal hierarchy and informal social processes complement each other in the exercise of influence. These results extend research which indicates that different information processing requirements require systematically different organizational processes to attend to that uncertainty.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael L. Tushman & Elaine Romanelli, 1983. "Uncertainty, Social Location and Influence in Decision Making: A Sociometric Analysis," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(1), pages 12-23, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:29:y:1983:i:1:p:12-23
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.29.1.12
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Au, Kevin Y. & Fukuda, John, 2002. "Boundary spanning behaviors of expatriates," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 285-296, January.
    2. Srikanth Paruchuri, 2010. "Intraorganizational Networks, Interorganizational Networks, and the Impact of Central Inventors: A Longitudinal Study of Pharmaceutical Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 63-80, February.
    3. Bai, Feng & Ho, Grace Ching Chi & Liu, Wu, 2020. "Do status incentives undermine morality-based status attainment? Investigating the mediating role of perceived authenticity," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 126-138.
    4. Ah Jung Kim & Myung-Ho Chung, 2023. "Psychological Ownership and Ambivalent Employee Behaviors: A Moderated Mediation Model," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(1), pages 21582440231, March.
    5. Chai Bin‐Feng & Sultan Sikandar Mirza & Tanveer Ahsan & Muhammad Azeem Qureshi, 2024. "How uncertainty can determine corporate ESG performance?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 2290-2310, May.
    6. Smita Prashant Chattopadhyay & Madhuchhanda Das Aundhe, 2021. "Vendor boundary spanning in Indian Information Technology (IT) companies," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 1139-1177, September.
    7. Mathijs de Vaan & Saqib Mumtaz & Abhishek Nagaraj & Sameer B. Srivastava, 2021. "Social Learning in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Community Establishments’ Closure Decisions Follow Those of Nearby Chain Establishments," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(7), pages 4446-4454, July.
    8. Mudambi, Ram & Pedersen, Torben & Andersson, Ulf, 2014. "How subsidiaries gain power in multinational corporations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 101-113.
    9. Chiu, Junmao & Li, Yi-Hua & Kao, Tsai-Hsuan, 2022. "Does organization capital matter? An analysis of the performance implications of CEO power," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    10. Massimo Maoret & Marco Tortoriello & Daniela Iubatti, 2020. "Big Fish, Big Pond? The Joint Effect of Formal and Informal Core/Periphery Positions on the Generation of Incremental Innovations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(6), pages 1538-1559, November.
    11. Yuosre F. Badir & Björn Frank & Marcel Bogers, 2020. "Employee-level open innovation in emerging markets: linking internal, external, and managerial resources," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(5), pages 891-913, September.
    12. Julio J. Rotemberg, 1993. "Power in Profit‐Maximizing Organizations," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 2(2), pages 165-198, June.
    13. Katja Rost, 2006. "Der Einfluss von Erfindernetzwerken auf die Relevanz von Patenten," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 363-389, May.
    14. Henk Flap & Bert Bulder & Beate V#x00D6;lker, 1998. "Intra-organizational Networks and Performance: A Review," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 109-147, June.
    15. Mariia Petryk & Michael Rivera & Siddharth Bhattacharya & Liangfei Qiu & Subodha Kumar, 2022. "How Network Embeddedness Affects Real-Time Performance Feedback: An Empirical Investigation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(4), pages 1467-1489, December.
    16. Huang, Yuhong & Gao, Yajia, 2023. "Labor protection and the digital transformation of enterprises: Empirical evidence from China's social insurance law," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    17. Kannan-Narasimhan, Rangapriya (Priya) & Wang, Ruixiang & Zhu, Pengcheng, 2023. "Founder versus agent CEOs: Effects of founder status and power on firm innovation and cost of capital," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    18. repec:eee:labchp:v:3:y:1999:i:pb:p:2373-2437 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Atul Nerkar & Srikanth Paruchuri, 2005. "Evolution of R&D Capabilities: The Role of Knowledge Networks Within a Firm," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 51(5), pages 771-785, May.
    20. Schminke, Marshall & Cropanzano, Russell & Rupp, Deborah E., 2002. "Organization structure and fairness perceptions: The moderating effects of organizational level," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 89(1), pages 881-905, September.
    21. Michelle Rogan & Marie Louise Mors, 2014. "A Network Perspective on Individual-Level Ambidexterity in Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(6), pages 1860-1877, December.

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