Attentional Control: Institutions, Management, Organizations, and Algorithms

This paper presents my development of an integrated, cross-level theory of attentional control in macro-organizational behavior. Viewing organizations as complex adaptive systems of joint and distributed attention, the paper highlights the importance of attention in facilitating joint attention, collective intentionality, coordinated action, and adaptation. The theory posits that intentional organizational behavior is shaped by top-down attentional control mechanisms: institutions and institutional logics, organizational structures and processes, managers and management, and, in the digital age, algorithms. I trace the theory's roots to my personal, educational, and professional experiences, emphasizing the need for integration across perspectives, interdisciplinary and multilevel research, and connecting research to practitioners’ needs. I conclude by calling for a more unified understanding of organizational phenomena through a theory of attentional control and encourage dialogue across scholarly communities to build a more integrative and impactful organizational science.