This paper reviews aspects of two largely disparate literatures from the adjacent fields of individual and organizational learning and identifies some implications for theory and practice. The focus of attention is the extent to which the individual level construct cognitive style can be meaningfully applied to aid the understanding of learning at the level of the organization as well as at the level of the individual. Attention is given to the ways in which consideration of cognitive style can improve the effectiveness of interventions designed to improve individual and organizational performance. Nine categories of intervention are identified.
AGOR, W. H.The intuitive ability of executives: Findings from field research. In W H. Agor (Ed.), Intuition in organisations. London: Sage, 1989, pp. 145-156.
2.
ALLAIRE, Y., & FIRSIROTU, M. E.Theories of organizational culture. Organization Studies, 1984, 5(3), 193-226.
3.
ALLINSON, C. W., & HAYES, J.The Cognitive Style Index: A measure of intuition-analysis for organisational research. Journal of Management Studies. 1996, 33(1), 119-135.
BARNARD, C. I.The functions of the executive. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1938.
6.
BARIUNEK, J. M., Changing interpretative schemes and organizational restructuring: The example of a religious order. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1984, 29355-372.
7.
BOYATZIS, R. E., & KOLB, D. A.From learning styles to learning skills: The executive skills profile. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 1995, 10(5), 3-17.
8.
CAMPBELL, D. P., & VAN VELSOR, E.The use of personality measures in the leadership development program. Greensboro, NC: Centre For Creative Leadership, 1985.
9.
CLAXTON, S., & RALSTON, Y.Leaming styles: Their impact on teaching and administration. Higher Education Report, No. 10, American Association for Higher Education, Washington D.C., 1978.
10.
COVEY, S. R.The seven habits of highly effective people. London: Simon & Schuster, 1989.
11.
CZIKSZENTMIHALYI, M., & CZIKSZENTMIHALYI, I.Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
12.
DE GEUS, A.Planning as learning. Harvard Business Review, 1988, March-April, 71.
13.
DAFT, R. L., & WEICK, K. E.Toward a model of organisations as interpreting systems, Academy of Management Review, 1984, 9(2), 284-295.
14.
DODGSON, M.Technology learning, technology strategy and competitive pressures. British Journal of Management, 1991, 3, 132-149.
15.
DOUGLAS, M.How institutions think. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1986.
16.
DOYLE CONNER, P., KINICKI, A. J., & KEATS, B. W.Integrating organizational and individual information processing perspectives on choice. Organizational Science, 1994, 5(3), 294-308.
17.
DRIVER, M. J.Cognitive psychology: An interactionist view. In J. W. Lorsch (Ed.), Handbook of organisational behavior, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1987, pp. 62-83.
18.
EASTERBY-SMITH, M.Disciplines of the learning organization: Contributions and critiques. Human Relations, 1997, 50(9), 1085-1113.
19.
FIOL, C. M., & LYLES, M. A.Organizational learning. Academy of Management Review, 1985, 10(4), 803-813.
20.
FRY, R. E. Diagnosing Professional Learning Environments: An Observation Framework for Assessing Situational Complexity. Unpublished PhD dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1978.
21.
FRY, R. E., & KOLB, D. A.Experiential learning theory and learning experiences in liberal arts education. New Directions for Experiential Learning, 1979, 79-92.
22.
GLASER, R.Thoughts on expertise, In C. Schooler and W Schaie (Eds.), Cognitive functioning and social structure over the life course. Norwood, NJ: McGraw-Hill, 1988, pp. 81-94.
23.
HADDON, E. A., & LYTTON, H.Teaching approach and the development of divergent thinking abilities in primary schools. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 1968, 38, 171-180.
24.
HALEY, U. C. V., & STUMPF, S. A.Cognitive trails in strategic decision-making: linking theories of personalities and cognitions. Journal of Management Studies, 1989, 26(5), 477-497.
25.
HARRIS, S. G.Organizational culture and individual sensemaking: A schema-based perspective. Organizational Science, 1994, 5(3), 309-321.
26.
HAYES, J., & ALLINSON, C. W.Cognitive style and its relevance for management practice, British Journal of Management, 1994, 5, 53-71.
27.
HAYES, J., & ALLINSON, C. W.The implications of learning styles for training and development. British Journal of Management, 1996, 7(2), 63-73.
28.
HODGKINSON, G. P.The cognitive analysis of competitive structures: a review and critique, Human Relations, 1997, 50(6), 625-654.
KOLB, D. A.Experiential learning. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall, 1984.
40.
LANK, A. G., & LANK, E. A.Legitimising the gut feel: The rose of intuition in business, Journal of Managerial Psychology, 1995, 10(5), 18-23.
41.
LEROY, F., & RAMANANTSOA, B.The cognitive and behavioral dimensions of organizational learning in a merger situation: An empirical study. Journal of Management Studies, 1997, 34(6), 871-894.
42.
LORSCH, J. W., & MORSE, J. J.Organizations and their members: A contingency approach, New York: Harper and Row, 1974.
43.
MacDONALD, S.Learning to change: An information perspective on learning in the organization. Organizational Science, 1995, 6(5), 557-568.
44.
MARCH, J. E.Exploration and exploitation in organizational learning. Organizational Science, 1991, 2(1), 71-87.
45.
MARCUS, H., & ZAJONC, R. B.The cognitive perspective in social psychology. In G. Lindzey and E. Aronson (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (3rd ed., Vol. 1). New York: Random House, 1985, pp. 137-230.
46.
McCALL, M. W., & KAPLAN, R. E.Whatever it takes: Decision makers at workEnglewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1985.
47.
MESSICK, S.Personality consistencies in cognition and creativity. In S. Messick and Associates (Eds.), Individuality in learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1978.
48.
MESSICK, S.The nature of cognitive styles: Problems and promises in educational practice. Educational Psychologist, 1984, 1959-74.
49.
MESSICK, S., & ASSOCIATES. Individuality in learning. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1976.
NADLER, D. A.The effective management of organizational change. In J. W. Lorsch (Ed.), Handbook of organisational behaviorEnglewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1987, pp. 358-369.
52.
PASK, G.Styles and strategies of learning. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 1976, 46128-148.
53.
ROBERTSON, I. T.Human information-processing strategies and styles, Behavior and Information Technology, 1985, 4, 19-29.
54.
ROYCE, J., & POWELL, A.Theory of personality and individual processes: Factors, systems and processes, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1983.
55.
RUSH, G. M., & MOORE, D. M.Effect of restructuring training and cognitive style, Educational Psychology, 1991, 11(3), 309-321.
56.
SCHEIN, E. H.Three cultures of management: the key to organizational learning. Sloan Management Review, 1996, Fall, 9-20.
57.
SCHRODER, H. M.Managerial competence and style. In M. J. Kirton (Ed.), Adaptors and innovators, London: Routledge, 1989, pp. 97-124.
58.
SENGE, P. M.The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organisation. London: Century Business, 1990.
59.
SIMON, H. A.Making management decisions: The role of intuition and emotion. In W H. Agor (Ed.), Intuition in organisations. London: Sage, 1989, pp. 23-30.
60.
SIMON, H. A.Bounded rationality and organizational learning. Organizational Science, 1991, 2(1), 125-134.
61.
SIMS, R. R. Assessing Competencies in Experiential Learning Theories. A Person-Job Congruence Model of Effectiveness in Professional Careers, Unpublished PhD dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 1981.
62.
SIMS, R.Kolb's experiential learning theory: A framework for assessing person-job interaction. Academy Management Review, 1983, 8, 501-508.
63.
STARBUCK, W. H., & HEDBERG, B.Saving an organisation from a stagnating environment, In H. Thorelli (Ed.), Strategy + Structure = Performance. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1977.
64.
STERNBERG, R. J.Mental self-government: A theory of intellectual styles and their development. Human Development, 1988, 31, 197-224.
65.
STREUFERT, S., & NOGAMI, G. Y.Cognitive style and complexity: Implications for I/O psychology. In C. L. Cooper and I. T. Robertson (Eds.), International review of industrial and organization psychology. Chichester: Wiley, 1989, pp. 93-143.
VAN MAANEN, J., & BARLEY, S. R.Cultural organization: Fragments of a theory. In P J. Frost et al. (Eds.), Organisational culture. London: Sage, 1985, pp. 31-53.
68.
WALSH, J. P.Managerial and organisational cognition: Notes from a trip down memory lane. Organizational Science, 1995, 6(3), 280-321.
69.
WEICK, K. E.Cognitive processes in organisations. In B. M. Staw, (Ed.), Research in Organisational Behavior (Vol. 1). Greenwich, CT: JA Press, pp. 41-74.
70.
WILENSKY, H. L.Organisational intelligence. New York: Basic Books, 1967.
71.
WITKIN, H. A., MOORE, C. A., GOODENOUGH, D. R., & COX, P. W.Field-dependent and field-independent cognitive styles and their educational implications. Review of Educational Research, 1977, 1-64.
72.
WITKIN, H. A., & GOODENOUGH, D. R.Cognitive styles: Essence and origins, field dependence and field independence. Psychological Issues, 1981, 14 (Whole No 51).
