Cognition and value systems at a leadership level in a multinational organisation

Abstract

Globalisation had a major impact on the way organisations operate. Access to information and innovative technology connote that organisational leaders need to make timely decisions while considering a range of rapidly changing variables. Leaders of global organisations need to make sense of complex information and anticipate the long-term outcomes of making different decisions. This requires highly developed cognitive skills. However, these are not the only factors influencing strategic decisions. Value systems also affect the choices organisational leaders make. Limited existing research has investigated the relationship between values and cognition within organisational leadership. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between cognitive complexity, cognitive processes and individual values at a senior management level in a multinational company. Cognition is explored in terms of cognitive processes and levels of work (as measured by the Cognitive Process Profile), and values are explored in terms of value systems (as measured by the Value Orientations questionnaire). The study is based on a quantitative research design, where a sample of 265 executives, senior managers and directors employed at a multinational organisation completed the assessments. The empirical study (N = 265) yielded some weak, yet statistically significant, relationships between cognition and value systems among organisational leaders in a multinational organisation.