Focusing Firm Evolution: The Impact of Information Infrastructure on Market Entry by U.S. Telecommunications Companies, 1984-1998 Export

@article{citeulike:5983551, abstract = {Organization structure acts as a lens on the environment, gathering information and shaping its flow through a firm to inform managers' choices. This shaping of information flow happens through an organization's operating units, which selectively process information from the environment, and through the links between them, which pass information between units. We explore the relationship between this "information infrastructure" and firm strategy using structure and service information from the eight largest telephone service providers in the United States from 1984 to 1998. We find that firms with more units that scan areas of opportunity are more likely to enter a market, while firms with more units that scan nonfocal areas are less likely to enter the market. We also find that personnel links between units and the corporate level of the firm often constrain entry to new markets by dampening a unit's appetite for risk. Personnel links between operating units, on the other hand, can make a firm more likely to enter new markets, particularly when the cooperating units combine different sets of information. Thus, a firm's information infrastructure plays a dual role in shaping firm evolution, leading toward some paths and away from others. 10.1287/mnsc.1040.0223}, author = {Williams, Charles and Mitchell, Will}, citeulike-article-id = {5983551}, citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0223}, citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://mansci.journal.informs.org/content/50/11/1561.abstract}, citeulike-linkout-2 = {http://mansci.journal.informs.org/content/50/11/1561.full.pdf}, day = {1}, doi = {10.1287/mnsc.1040.0223}, journal = {MANAGEMENT SCIENCE}, keywords = {1984-1998, companies, entry, evolution, firm, focusing, impact, information, infrastructure, market, telecommunications, us}, month = {November}, number = {11}, pages = {1561--1575}, posted-at = {2009-10-22 05:07:44}, priority = {3}, title = {Focusing Firm Evolution: The Impact of Information Infrastructure on Market Entry by U.S. Telecommunications Companies, 1984-1998}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0223}, volume = {50}, year = {2004} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:5983551 L3 - citeulike-article-id:5983551 N2 - Organization structure acts as a lens on the environment, gathering information and shaping its flow through a firm to inform managers' choices. This shaping of information flow happens through an organization's operating units, which selectively process information from the environment, and through the links between them, which pass information between units. We explore the relationship between this "information infrastructure" and firm strategy using structure and service information from the eight largest telephone service providers in the United States from 1984 to 1998. We find that firms with more units that scan areas of opportunity are more likely to enter a market, while firms with more units that scan nonfocal areas are less likely to enter the market. We also find that personnel links between units and the corporate level of the firm often constrain entry to new markets by dampening a unit's appetite for risk. Personnel links between operating units, on the other hand, can make a firm more likely to enter new markets, particularly when the cooperating units combine different sets of information. Thus, a firm's information infrastructure plays a dual role in shaping firm evolution, leading toward some paths and away from others. 10.1287/mnsc.1040.0223 IS - 11 JF - MANAGEMENT SCIENCE EP - 1575 TI - Focusing Firm Evolution: The Impact of Information Infrastructure on Market Entry by U.S. Telecommunications Companies, 1984-1998 VL - 50 SP - 1561 KW - 1984-1998 KW - companies KW - entry KW - evolution KW - firm KW - focusing KW - impact KW - information KW - infrastructure KW - market KW - telecommunications KW - us AU - Williams, Charles AU - Mitchell, Will PY - 2004/11/01/ UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1040.0223 ER -