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Enhancing Information Usefulness by Line Managers' Involvement in Cross-Unit Activities

Foss, Kirsten; Rodgers, Waymond

Authors

Kirsten Foss



Abstract

Organization and management scholars have long advocated that efficient use of information is critical for firms to compete successfully in the modern marketplace. This study examines whether the use of managerial cross-unit involvement in an organization enhances managers' propensity to use useful information provided by a functionally related unit in the organization. Senior line managers in a major global bank participated in our study in which they provided information related to their information processing and assessments of the usefulness of corporate audit information. We analyse the effect of line managers' prior involvement with Corporate Audit using Throughput Modeling. This model allows us to understand how line managers' cross-unit involvement influenced the way they process information received from Corporate Audit. Our results show that managers' cross-unit involvement positively influences their assessment of information from Corporate Audit in a way that influences their propensity to use information from that unit. The results indicate that cross-unit involvement is more than an effective means of transmitting information - it can also be used as a means of building boundary-spanning capabilities in managers.© The Author(s) 2011.

Citation

Foss, K., & Rodgers, W. (2011). Enhancing Information Usefulness by Line Managers' Involvement in Cross-Unit Activities. Organization Studies, 32(5), 683-703. https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840611407017

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date May 27, 2011
Publication Date May 1, 2011
Deposit Date Nov 13, 2014
Journal Organization Studies
Print ISSN 0170-8406
Electronic ISSN 1741-3044
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 32
Issue 5
Pages 683-703
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0170840611407017
Keywords Management of Technology and Innovation; Strategy and Management; Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/473188