The Big Picture: How the New Use of an Old Theory will Enhance Leaders’ Perspective on Management

Abstract

Managers experience difficulty focusing their time on higher-level management activities (strategy,
innovation, change, etc.) to promote the success of their companies because lower-level issues arise requiring their attention. These interruptions are disruptive to managers because they interfere with creating opportunities for organizational growth. Alderfer’s ERG theory is a model of individual motivation. However, this research proposes its utility in examining organization-level activity and management. The two goals of this research are to establish the practicality of the ERG theory for organization-level analysis and to show the negative impact of interruptions and how they affect managers.