The Impact of Individual and Organizational Factors on Problem Perception: Theory and Empirical Evidence from the Marketing-Technical Dyad

Abstract

Research into the question of what factors influence problem perception have tended to focus on single, isolated decisions, often in contrived settings. Moreover, research has inclined to investigate in isolation the effect of either individual level factors or organizational ones. The purpose of this article is to present the findings of research into the relative impact of individual and organizational factors on managers' perceptions of their role related problem context. This role related problem matrix is important as it acts as a meta-frame for future problems. The findings suggest that both individual and organizational factors significantly influence perception, however, not entirely in the manner hypothesized. The results are discussed and avenues for future research outlined.