Information overload: a cross‐national investigation of influence factors and effects

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature and negative effects of the "information overload" phenomenon, exacerbated in recent years by organizational design issues and rapid advances in information and communication technology, through a multidisciplinary lens. Design/methodology/approach -Data from a five-country East-West published study of information overload in the Reuters organization are used to examine the influences on information overload and to compare the effects on respondents in each country. Findings -Results of the re-manipulation of the survey data demonstrate significant negative relationships between information overload and the fulfilment of job responsibilities in all five countries surveyed. Information overload was perceived to be most stressful in the USA and UK. Practical implications -Marketing managers face the dilemma of receiving too much information, but too little that is "right" for their planning responsibilities. The challenge is thus to convert "information" into "intelligence" that can effectively support strategic marketing planning. Suggestions are offered for reducing the duplication of information and adopting appropriate information-management strategies. Originality/value -Information overload has serious practical consequences for management and planning in marketing no less than in any other discipline. A clear and comprehensive view of the phenomenon and its effects on everyday job responsibilities is therefore useful in tackling the problem. The cross-national analysis permits adjustments to local management style and behaviour in the major economies of the East and West.

Theory-based model of factors affecting information overload

“…C. Customer Information Overload -research into how it affects customer spending strategies. Klausegger and Sinkovics (2007) It could be argued that Butcher's categorisation of Customer Information Overload appears to be misplaced and that Customer Information Overload could be viewed as just a context for Personal Information Overload. 'Context', however, is a significant factor in information overload that needs to be modelled and has been shown to be important by a number of researchers including Allen and Shoard (2005) and Hall and Walton (2004).…”

“…The information an individual receives within a specific context will determine the strategy or coping mechanisms they will use. This is partially viewed as an Adaptation Mechanism by Klausegger and Sinkovics (2007). The strategy adopted could be influenced by level of prior experiences, a point discussed in the next section on information overload factors.…”

Use of Online Information Resources by Rmit University Economics, Finance, and Marketing Students Participating In A Cooperative Education Program

“…Klausegger feels that 'all business decisionmaking processes are associated with the collection, processing and forwarding of information'. 13 Intranets and knowledge management systems are important tools for communicating and sharing information 14 and in the workplace, there is more emphasis on the use of data, internal information and knowledge gained from others and teams through social networking. 15 …”

A human-centric integrated approach to web information search and sharing

“…For instance, Klausegger et al [10] found that information overload is experienced regardless of the nation, with its degree somewhat differing from nation to nation, -there is a significant negative relationship between the overload and work performance for all five nations the authors investigated. It was also found that the phenomenon negatively influence the degree of interpersonal trust, which is a critical component of social capital [1].…”