The Impact of Information Technology on Middle Managers.

Author List: Pinsonneault, Alain; Kraemer, Kenneth L.;

MIS Quarterly, 1993, Volume 17, Issue 3, Page 271-292.

This article reviews studies that examine the impact of information technology (IT) on the number of middle managers in organizations. Contradictory evidence is found to suggest, paradoxically, that IT both increases and decreases the number of the middle managers. This "empirical paradox" is resolved by looking at the effects of IT on middle managers as contingent upon the degree of centralization of computing decisions, and of organizational decisions more broadly. When both computing decisions and organizational decisions are centralized, top managers tend to use IT to reduce the number of middle managers. When these decisions are decentralized, middle managers use IT to increase their numbers. A recent case study provides preliminary support for this perspective by showing an interesting case of reduction in middle managers.

Keywords: capital-labor substitution; impact on middle managers; increase/decrease in middle managers; Information technology; managerial actionalism; structurational perspective; technological determinism

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List of Topics

#88	0.443	managers managerial manager decisions study middle use important manager's appropriate importance context organizations indicate field experience management major organizational results
#35	0.120	technology organizational information organizations organization new work perspective innovation processes used technological understanding technologies transformation consequences perspectives use administrative economic
#40	0.118	increased increase number response emergency monitoring warning study reduce messages using reduced decreased reduction decrease act sessions cost good key
#285	0.095	effects effect research data studies empirical information literature different interaction analysis implications findings results important set large provide using paper