Managers and strategic decisions: does the cognitive style matter?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to find out wheter the cognitive style of the manager affect as his view of the viable strategy for a firm. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses data from 70 managers in the spa industry. Findings – Concludes that managers' cognitive style and particularly their way of taking in information (sensing or intuition) have effect on strategies they tend to prefer. Intuitive managers tend to view the prospector or the analyzer strategy as the most viable future alternative for a firm. The analyzer or the defender strategy is preferred by the sensing managers. Originality/value – For managers, the results of this study emphasize the importance of knowing oneself and especially one's way of perception and understanding its suggested effect on strategic decision making. This paper also attempts to inspire researchers to include the cognitive style in studying the effects of the managers and top management team on firms' strategy.