Abstract
Uncertainty perception is a core issue as it determines decision making and behaviour. Different organisations can perceive uncertainty differently based on contingencies in their environment and their capabilities. Uncertainty perception is also an individual characteristic as it is influenced by experience and knowledge. Based on dual-processing theory, this paper proposes an analysis method for assessing both explicit and implicit uncertainty perception depending on the individual’s use of tacit or explicit knowledge. Analysing two industrial case studies of service relationships, this paper investigates the perceptions of three uncertainty types: environmental, relational and organisational uncertainty. The findings suggest that implicit uncertainty perception is prevalent and that uncertainty types are inter-related meaning that one uncertainty type can give rise to another one. Thus, this paper contributes to the literature in three major areas: First, showing the relative importance of the three uncertainty types in inter-organisational relationships complements the literature as existing approaches tend to focus on one uncertainty type such as environmental uncertainty. Second, the different uncertainty types are interrelated in inter-organisational relationships showing that one company’s perception of one uncertainty type can cause the partner to perceive another uncertainty type. Finally, a novel method for assessing uncertainty perception is demonstrated.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 15th Annual EURAM Conference |
Number of pages | 35 |
Publisher | European Academy of Management, EURAM |
Publication date | 2015 |
Publication status | Published - 2015 |
Event | 15th Annual Conference on the European Academy of Management - Warsaw, Poland Duration: 17 Jun 2015 → 20 Jun 2015 Conference number: 15 |
Conference
Conference | 15th Annual Conference on the European Academy of Management |
---|---|
Number | 15 |
Country/Territory | Poland |
City | Warsaw |
Period | 17/06/2015 → 20/06/2015 |