Exposure to intermediaries and the meanings managers hold: Evidence from Manufacturing Best Practices Programs

Peter Cebon, Melbourne Business School
E. Geoffrey Love, University of Illinois

Abstract

We explore how engagement with intermediaries shapes meanings that managers hold. Specifically, we examine variations in the adoption patterns of Manufacturing Best Practice programs, and use this to infer how managers understood the meaning of ‘Manufacturing Best Practices.’ Sites that engaged with intermediaries adopted a constellation of practices that was more consistent with normative theories than sites that did not, indicating that intermediaries shape meanings within a field. Interestingly, sites that engaged with theorizing agents and communities of practice adopted practices consistent with one normative theory while those who engaged with customers &suppliers adopted practices more consistent with another.

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