An examination of the relationship between the buffering response of part-time and temporary workers and technology, perceived environmental uncertainty and size in two manufacturing industries

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to empirically test J. D. Thompson's proposition that organizations seek to buffer their technical cores from the uncertainty of the environment. Secondary objectives included: to explore the relationship among core technology, perceived environmental uncertainty, size, and buffering; to provide descriptive statistics on the use of part-time and temporary workers in manufacturing firms; and to empirically test the Perceived Environmental Uncertainty Instrument developed by Duncan and modified by Downey. These were accomplished by examining in an applied setting the relationship among one buffering method, two types of core technologies, size, and perceived environmental uncertainty.