A new time and new cognitive models: National differences in cognitive style and their implications for management education

Jeanne Hill, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK

and

Arja Puurula, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Agnieszka Sitko-Lutek, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland

Anna Rakowska, Katedra Zarazdzania Politechnika, Lublin, Poland

We know from the study of learning and cognitive style that some individuals like to use more time and information inputs to their mental processing and decision-making than others do. They also like to reflect before coming to decision closure. Our research shows that this individual characteristic appears to be reproduced on a national level.

This presentation reports on 1999 research into managerial decision-making in Poland, Finland and the UK which demonstrates significant differences between national groups in learning/cognitive style preferences to do with time, information inputs and levels of 'confidence' in decision-making situations. These differences are compared with Hofstede (1980) cultural dimensions with interesting results.

Although many management writers discuss the difficulties and complexities of cross-cultural management, it is only recently that attention has been given to the study of national differences in cognition and its cultural connections. Simons and Thompson's (1998) review of the literature on factors affecting managerial decision-making revealed that although theoretical and empirical examination of environmental, organisational and decision-nature variables was relatively common, research into the role of the individual manager's characteristics and values was not.

A 1998 study by Hill et al which showed significant differences in the styles of UK and Russian and former Soviet Union managers generated some propositions about the nature of style and its influences that have been expanded and measured in the current study. The key ideas tested include:

- whether differences in cognitive/learning style are seen between national samples

- whether these differences seem to be associated with socialisation in early education

- whether these differences are associated with levels of personal confidence, and if so, whether there are 'national' expressions of this confidence

- whether there are temporal and information-seeking implications to style differences

- whether these national style characteristics seem to be related to the cultural characteristics measured by Hofstede (1980)

- whether these differences would indicate differential treatment of curriculum and/or delivery methods across cultural borders

Results of these tests will be discussed in detail during the symposium presentation.