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ABSTRACT          

Date:   2023-05-31     

Level:   Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15cr     

Institution:   School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University

Authors:     Malin Godenius (95/10/06)   Victoria Karlson (94/04/01)   Sophia Röse (99/12/06)     

Title:   Unravelling the Dynamics of Managerial Attention Allocation: Exploring the Impact of Digital Technologies and Heuristics     

Supervisor:   Edward Gillmore     

Keywords:   Attention-Based View, Heuristics, Digital Technologies, Digital Transformation, Attention Allocation, Managers     

Research questions: 

RQ1: What effect do digital technologies have on managers' attention allocation?

RQ2: How do digital technologies substitute or complement managers' heuristics?     

Purpose:   This study aims to explore and understand how increased access to digital technologies influences managers' attention allocation. The primary purpose is to investigate how digital technologies may substitute or complement managers' heuristics. Consequently, this can aid organisations' awareness of the potential impact to effectively adopt specific approaches to improve managers' decision-making and avoid information overload.     

Method:   An exploratory, qualitative multiple case study consisting of six interviews was conducted to align with the purpose. The data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with managers at several companies within the energy and power industry. The data collection focuses on the three elements digital technologies, heuristics, and the attention-based view, which are then analysed through thematic analysis to identify their influence on one another.     

Conclusion:   This study identifies the effect of digital technologies on attention allocation and heuristics. Attention allocation is negatively and positively impacted through digital technologies, allowing managers to, e.g., access an abundance of information which in turn can lead to information overload. Digital technologies additionally have a complementary effect on heuristics, the degree of which differs depending on several factors and situations. A substitutional effect is not as common and appears in combination with process automation.