| Information overload is a state where information input exceeds processing capability by an individual, and adverse effects of information overload, such as becoming less productive, making bad decisions, and becoming highly selective, are growing. Guided by Glaser and Strauss' work on grounded theory, this study examined adverse impact of information overload on the decision-making capabilities of senior leaders in a corporate environment to develop a theory of coping mechanisms and strategies to improve those capabilities. Research questions focused on how individual senior leaders cope with effects of information overload that contribute to induced decision paralysis, closing of information channels, and prioritization of information. A snowball sample of 29 senior leaders, including directors, presidents, and Chief Executive Officers, was selected from organizations bounded geographically. An anonymous online survey was used to collect data. Constant comparison, triangulation of literature review and survey datasets, and codes helped in the establishment of categories that informed the development of grounded theory. The main output of this study was formulation of a theory on information overload executive coping mechanisms. According to results illustrated by the theory, the prevalent forms of coping were prioritization and seeking control, and that leaders most often relied on individual employees and teams to maintain open channels of information on a topic. Implications for positive social change may occur with senior leader utilization of the theory within the business sector, leading to mitigation of adverse impact from suboptimal decisions and preventing substantial financial loss. |
