Gatekeeping in organizational purchasing: An empirical investigation

Abstract

Owing to the complexity of the task and the risks inherent in it, the effectiveness of any organizational buying decision largely depends on the information available for the decision-makers' use. Within any typical organization, flow of the information needed in the decision-making process is influenced by the gatekeepers - the people who link the organization with the outside environment. However, despite the important role played by these people, not much is known about their behavior. This research makes an attempt to study gatekeeping behavior and examine factors which may influence this behavior.