How managers interpret scanning information

When scanning, managers acquire and collect information about their environment to keep informed of its evolution, make decisions, and sometimes to anticipate changes. We attempted to understand this process and assess how French managers interpret scanning information to evaluate its importance. Our effort resulted in: (1) sixteen factors used by managers to make sense of the signs and signals they perceived when scanning; (2) a heuristic model of the process; and (3) two instances of the model. Our results suggested that ad hoc training should be provided and IT use should be fully investigated to enhance managers’ scanning skills if organizations wish to develop an ability to detect weak signs/signals, anticipate plausible change, and increase strategic decision effectiveness.