International business decisions and manager’s cognitive style: opening up research avenues from cognitive behavioural strategy

Miguel González-Loureiro,Božidar Vlačić

doi:10.21171/ges.v10i27.2131

Abstract

The topics of internationalization and cognitive styles have been investigated extensively in an unrelated manner over decades. From the latter psycho-sociological approach, it can be stated that the decision maker cognitive characteristics have an impact on the organization’s strategic decisions. Meanwhile, the former perspective has emphasized the issue of internationalization as a process that strongly relies on gaining experiential knowledge. This conceptual paper aims to enlighten the influence and interaction of the manager’s cognitive style on international business (IB) decisions of small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs). Two main theoretical approaches explaining the internationalization process of SMEs are compared: the Uppsala gradual model and the International New Ventures-INVs approach. The main research question is whether there is a cognitive style that always outperforms the others when it comes to the internationalization pattern the SME follows, or whether the optimal style is dependent on the task and the context (i.e. the pattern of the internationalization the SME choses). Some propositions and research avenues are suggested as new findings are continuously emerging relative to how the human brain works in this promising intersection labeled as organizational neuroscience in the quest of the micro-foundations of the theory of internationalization.

Highlights

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DECISIONS AND MANAGER’S COGNITIVE STYLE: OPENING UP RESEARCH AVENUES FROM COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL STRATEGY González-Loureiro, Miguel & Vlačić, Božidar
In order to define the importance of the intersection of three big research fields, namely manager in the organization, we have adopted international business, studies pertaining
The ability to outperform competitors in the depending on the environmental influences, the international arena is strongly dependent on same individual might develop different the adequacy of international decisions made individual cognitive styles to approach the

Summary

Introduction

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DECISIONS AND MANAGER’S COGNITIVE STYLE: OPENING UP RESEARCH AVENUES FROM COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL STRATEGY González-Loureiro, Miguel & Vlačić, Božidar. According increasing in importance relative to tacit to the INV theories, the manager does not managerial knowledge of foreign markets as always "choose the lowest cost location for determinants of the speed, breadth, and mode each activity the firm performs Integrated style uses both analytical and the ability to switch from one intuitive decision depending on the approach to the other is often difficult, because requirements of the situation.

Results

Conclusion