As the tide of globalization rides high and global competition
intensifies, more and more firms are resorting to strategic alliances as
a means to increase competitive‐ness. Despite apparent advantages that
a strategic alliance may bring, it does not compensate for weaknesses in
corporate culture which, as shown in this article, could only be done
through organizational learning. Such learning cannot be acquired
through purchase or by contract, it has to be gained by effort.
Extant strategic management literature provides only partial answer to the important ques tion: What variables affect top managers' ability to process complicated, novel, ambiguous, or dynamic strategic information in a turbulent environment? Drawn upon cognitive psychology, personality theory, management theory, organizational theory, and management information systems literatures, this paper proposes that nine personal attributes and four contextual at tributes affect top managers' information processing capability. The nine personal attributes are: cognitive complexity, knowledge, mental model of success, open-mindedness, time orienta tion, personal values, tolerance for ambiguity, locus of control, and time devoted to environ mental scanning. The four contextual attributes are: rewards and incentives, culture, structure of strategic planning process, and executive support systems. Thirteen propositions are postu lated regarding the types of attributes that are conducive for top managers' ability in processing complicated, novel, ambiguous, or dynamic information.
This study offers a framework for understanding the causes and impact of reengineering. The framework views the causes and impact from two aspects, namely, external and internal dimensions. Using case research, it was found that both external and internal factors were important in driving reengineering as well as in explaining the results brought about by reengineering.
Reengineering is becoming an increasingly popular option for corporations seeking radical process change. Central to the success of reengineering is the coordination of information technology (IT) throughout the organization. Essentially, IT represents the core mechanism of information flow. When companies improve core IT processes, such as gathering data only once, integrating cross‐functional systems or increasing information speed to customers, radical business process change is possible. However, for IT to be an enabler of reengineering or organizational change, it is imperative that managers are conversant with the various methods by which IT can help advance process change. At the same time, management needs to be aware of the numerous pitfalls that may doom any change effort using IT.
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