Information overload: Causes and consequences*

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Schneider, Susan C.^;

Affiliations: INSEAD, Boulevard de Constance, 77305 Fontainebleau Cedex, France

Note: [*] The author would like to thank the following people for their helpful comments: Martine Van Den Poel, Rob Weitz, Arnoud de Meyer, Reinhard Angelmar, Paul Shrivastava, Roger Dunbar, Jane Dutton and the anonymous reviewers.

Abstract: The failure of an organization's information processing capacity to meet its information processing requirements creates the potential for dysfunction. A model of information overload is presented that describes the antecedents (the nature of information and organizational conditions) and consequences (primary and secondary symptoms). The role of structural differentiation and integration in creating and managing overload is discussed. Primary symptomatology reflects the inadequacy of differentiation and integration. Subsequent secondary symptomatology reflects the maladaptive attempts to cope. The possible effects on organizational behavior and strategy are explored.

Keywords: Information processing, dysfunction, differentiation/integration

DOI: 10.3233/HSM-1987-7207

Journal: Human Systems Management, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 143-153, 1987