Manufacturing organizations must know how to deal with uncertainty, manage environmental impact, effectively coordinate with suppliers, and use information technology (IT) to support coordination. Applying cybernetics and information processing theories, this study explores the relationship between organizational environment, inter-organizational coordination, IT support, and the effectiveness of inter-organizational coordination. Using the case study method, data was collected from six manufacturing firms in China. The results show that inter-organizational system adoption is affected by organizational environment and is related to the management of inter-organizational coordination. Coordination and IT application affect the performance of inter-organizational coordination.