The Role of Managers in Handling Information Overload in The Information Society Era : A Case Study of GCB Bank, Ghana

The main purpose of the study is to assess the role of managers in managing information overload in this information age era. The study also intended to specifically achieve the following identified objectives: to ascertain the causes of information overload in organizations in the financial sector and assessed the relationship between information overload and decision making of managers of organizations in the financial sector. The method utilized for this investigation is the descriptive research design. The technique for data analysis was by the utilization of content analysis. In relation to the causes of information overload in organizations in the financial sector, it was basically found that work interruption and work time pressure but the amount of information, organizational design; the nature of information (e.g. the level of ambiguity, novelty and complexity); the person involved in handling the information (e.g. attitude, qualification and experience); tasks or processes to be completed (e.g. frequency of reoccurrence); and the use or misuse of information technology like the internet, social media and e-mail are also causes of information overload. The study discovered that when information overload happens and the capacity to make decision is declined and, in this way, the additional data cannot be processed properly and just meddles the capacity to decide for the firm. With respect to the role of managers in managing information overload in this information era, the study essentially uncovered that found that managers will in general adapt to this idea at individual level, by utilizing a blend of separating, withdrawal and summing up techniques. The study concluded that managers have the role to filter any information to identify any information gaps in order to make good decisions for the improvement of performance in the organization. The study also recommended that managers should not overlook information overload in their organizations especially in this information age era, but needs to make sure that any information received are correctly checked and filtered in such a way that they might aid in making good decisions