Leader Cognition: Uncovering Unthought, Unseen, Unsaid, and Unremembered

Abstract

This symposium addresses the unthought, unseen, unsaid and unremembered – all of which shape the thinking, decision-making, and behaviors of leaders in the boardroom, in organizations, and as individuals. These are conscious and unconscious processes that shape leaders’ cognition and can “improve lives” of the organizational stakeholders or make their lives measurable. Making leaders aware of their personal cognitive (conscious and unconscious) processes can enable their personal development. It can also help leaders to become more aware of the effects they make on their employees and organizations. This symposium brings together international scholars whose scholarly mission is to understand conscious and unconscious processes of leaders. Specifically, the first paper of the symposium addresses effects of the transmission of collective trauma, i.e., genocide, on leader development, and mechanisms through which the collective trauma can shape leader cognition. The second paper addresses how what is not said in boardrooms, but is felt by board members, can set in motion a ‘spiral of unsaid known’ between board members, and lead to inefficient board processes. In turn, the third paper addresses how focusing on the unconscious, what is unthought or unsaid, can influence self-awareness and identity development in participants of executive programs. The final paper calls for a wider consideration of leaders’ unconscious mental life by management scholars, and presents an overview of theories that can help to advance research on the topic. With this symposium, we aim to inspire a fresh scholarly debate concerned with leader cognition and specifically concerned with conscious and unconscious individual and group cognitive processes. We also aim to inspire a new wave of (executive) management education that would help participants to address and discover their unthought, unseen, unsaid and unremembered, towards becoming better leaders. The effects of transgenerational transmission of collective trauma on leader development Presenter: Lara Tcholakian; Vrije U. Amsterdam A spiral of “unsaid known” Presenter: Marilieke Engbers; Vrije U. Amsterdam The unseen pathways to personal growth: Identity development for learners and leaders Presenter: Michael Jarrett; INSEAD Presenter: Zoe Kinias; INSEAD Presenter: Erik Van De Loo; INSEAD Presenter: Roger Lehman; INSEAD Presenter: Lee White; INSEAD The role of a dynamic unconscious in leaders and organizations Presenter: Erik Van De Loo; INSEAD Presenter: Roger Lehman; INSEAD Presenter: Svetlana Khapova; Vrije U. Amsterdam