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Wednesday, Oct 7, 2009Seek to balance logical and creative thinking
Posted by dgore
RESEARCH
New research co-authored by the Graziadio School’s Kevin Groves finds a significant link between thinking styles and emotional intelligence that has important implications for management education and leadership training. Groves is an award-winning assistant professor of Organizational Theory and Management and his study, authored with Loyola Marymount University’s Charles Vance, will be published this fall in the Journal of Managerial Issues ((Volume 21, Issue 3, pp. 344-366).
Analytical, logic-driven (linear) thinking is associated with regulating emotions. Intuitive, creative (nonlinear) thinking is related to utilizing emotions to facilitate thinking. Balanced linear/nonlinear thinking is associated with overall emotional intelligence, the study found.
Today’s organizations operate in an increasingly uncertain and tumultuous global market economy that requires managers to demonstrate complex and multidimensional thinking. Groves’ research suggests that training to help employees cope and succeed in today’s increasingly challenging and emotionally-taxing working conditions would benefit by an emphasis upon competence building in areas related to greater analytical/creative thinking balance and versatility.
“The ability to resort, amidst emotional distress or impulsive distraction, to linear style logic and controlled reason can lead to sustained positive performance, while the lack of emotional regulation can lead to disastrous outcomes, broken negotiations, and irreparable professional relationships,” says Dr. Groves.
Findings support the focus on analytical thinking skill development in building the critical leadership competency of self-regulation. Self-regulation, employing controlled reason and analysis, is an essential competency for leaders in building an atmosphere of trust and fairness and coping well in competitive environments.
Where the authors assessed an over-reliance on linear thinking, the results support the use of training in various creative, insightful free-thinking (nonlinear) skills to facilitate and enhance individual and group problem solving and decision-making performance.
The paper’s results enlighten and guide future workforce practice that takes place under increasingly stressful and emotion-laden conditions of high competition, change, and uncertainty. In particular, the findings suggest that training to help employees cope and succeed in today’s increasingly challenging and emotionally-taxing working conditions would benefit by an emphasis upon competence building in areas related to analytical and creative thinking style.
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Dr. Groves participated in a symposium at the Academy of International Business annual conference that addressed “Variations of entrepreneurial intent across cultures: Emerging evidence from USA, China, Russia, Bulgaria, and Finland”. His specific presentation as part of this symposium was titled “The Relationship between Thinking Style and Entrepreneurial Intent: A Cross-Cultural Perspective”. Joining Groves on the panel were Ellen Drost, Stephen McGuire, Veena Prabu, and Kern Kwong of Cal State University, Los Angeles, and David Atkinson of the Helsinki School of Economics. The conference was held June 27-30 in San Diego.
Groves also participated in a symposium at the Academy of Management annual conference that addressed “Thinking styles in managerial learning, cognition, and behavior: An integrative overview”. He delivered a presentation entitled “Linear and Nonlinear Thinking Styles in Business and Management Education”. The conference was held August 8-11 in Chicago. The symposium panel included Steven Armstrong of Hull University Business School (UK), Eugene Sadler-Smith of the University of Surrey (UK), Eva Cools of Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School (Belgium), Maria Kozhevnikov of George Mason University, and Charles Vance of Loyola Marymount University.
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Category : Faculty | Recent Headlines | Research
For a sales consultancy practice that I am setting up. I am researching a course in “Sales Attitude “that I would like to host. Even though sales may be seen as a abstract as opossed to other business areas. It has always been taught as a linear process. I believe that sales is as much non-linear as linear and the concious process should be one that includes both on a sub-concious level.
My company’s concept will be to establish a link between both where-by the client will learn the linear but be able to create opportunities utilizing non-linear attitudes that will initiate for both a successful result.
My question to you is: Do you have information that may provide me with greater insight?
Regards,
Jer Regnier