Attention process: A multilevel perspective

Abstract

The attention-based view of the firm is a versatile theoretical perspective of organizational behavior. Despite its complexity, it comprises a set of principles, elements and mechanisms capable of explaining organizational behavior phenomena not only at the business firm level, as originally proposed, but also at other levels. We argue that attentional processes have functional equivalence at the team, organizational and social movement levels and propose a multilevel model of attention. By describing the elements of attentional processes within and across different levels of analysis we contribute to theories of attention, to the field of organizational behavior and also to the literature on social movements. A multilevel model of attention enlarges the scope of research on organizational attention and provides a fuller understanding of the relationship between attention and organizational behavior.