The information acquisition activities of manufacturing middle managers: Determinants of lateral and external information use

Middle managers' jobs in manufacturing have changed dramatically over the past twenty years as organizations reengineer their processes and restructure. Traditionally, most of middle managers' flow of information has come from within their functional areas, up or down the vertical line of command. Today, middle managers may need increased cross-functional or lateral information and external information from outside the company.;The goals of this dissertation were to measure the actual use of lateral and external information by manufacturing middle managers and to test the influence of three factors: the lateral and external information demands of the department; the level of information distribution; and the use of information technology. The information demands of the department were assessed through the application of Lawrence and Lorsch's contingency theory and concepts of differentiation and integration (1967). Information distribution was defined as information accessibility and quality. The use of information technology was defined two ways, the use of computer-based information and the use of desktop computing. Two questionnaire instruments were developed: an executive questionnaire to gather departmental information and a middle manager questionnaire to gather information about their information acquisition activities.;Data were collected from 156 middle managers and 13 executives across three functional areas--manufacturing, marketing and engineering. The sample was drawn from six large manufacturing firms representing various industries across the United States: pharmaceuticals; electronics; office systems; surgical products; process controls; and electrical controls. The data were analyzed using regression, ANOVA and t-test analysis.;The results indicate that computer-based information use is positively related to the use of both external and lateral information. The external information needs of the department affect the external use of information, along with the computer expertise of the manager and the level of overall information distribution. The lateral information needs of the department, satisfaction with corporate information systems, and education level also influence lateral information use.