Nicola J. Bown

Breaking the frame: An analysis of strategic cognition and decision making under uncertainty

This paper reports the findings of two experimental investigations into the efficacy of a causal cognitive mapping procedure as a means for overcoming cognitive biases arising from the framing of strategic decision problems. In Study 1, final year management studies undergraduate students were presented with an elaborated strategic decision scenario, under one of four experimental conditions: positively vs. negatively framed decision scenarios, with prechoice vs. postchoice mapping task orders (i.e., participants were required to engage in cognitive mapping before or after making a decision). As predicted, participants in the postchoice mapping conditions succumbed to the framing bias whereas those in the prechoice mapping conditions did not. Study 2 replicated and extended these findings in a field setting, on a sample of senior managers, using a decision scenario that closely mirrored a strategic dilemma currently facing their organization. Taken together, the findings of these studies indicate that the framing bias is likely to be an important factor in strategic decision making, and suggest that cognitive mapping provides an effective means of limiting the damage accruing from this bias. Copyright

Causal Cognitive Mapping in the Organizational Strategy Field: A Comparison of Alternative Elicitation Procedures

The present study evaluates two alternative causal cognitive mapping procedures that exemplify key differences among a number of direct elicitation techniques currently in use in the organizational strategy field: pairwise evaluation of causal relationships and a freeh and approach. The pairwise technique yielded relatively elaborate maps, but participants found the task more difficult, less engaging, and less representative than the freeh and approach. Implications for the choice of procedures in interventionist and research contexts are considered.

Anti-Norm and Pro-Norm Deviance in the Bank and on the Campus: Two Experiments on Subjective Group Dynamics

In two experiments, participants evaluated other individuals who deviated in either an anti-or pro-normative direction relative to normative members of the same group. We predicted that individuals would prefer group members who contributed to the validity of in-group norms. In Study 1, anti-norm deviants in an organization attracted more negative evaluations than did pro-norm deviants, even though both were dissimilar to the in-group prototype. Consistent with our model of ‘subjective group dynamics’, evaluations of such deviants were related to perceivers’ identification with their own group. In Study 2, British and Overseas students were more positive toward in-group and out-group members who deviated in the in-group normative direction with respect to university policies for Overseas students. These findings complement the results from laboratory experiments by Abrams, Marques, Bown, and Henson (2000). Reactions to deviance reflect more than just the magnitude of deviance; they are also affected by the group membership of the deviant, and the direction in which that person deviates.

The relevance of judgment and decision making research for marketing: Introduction to the special issue

Research in judgment and decision making (JDM) endeavors to account for the way individuals make complex decisions, such as those consumers make in the marketplace. This complexity is created by the number of options available, the numerous attributes on which options can be evaluated, and the difficulty of making tradeoffs between these attributes. This article addresses some of the strategies, both functional and dysfunctional, that people adopt to cope with this complexity. It goes on to describe the most recent contributions of JDM researchers to the practice and theory of marketing.

The impact of negative work home interface on intention to leave and the role of flexible working arrangements in Malaysia

Recent research into employee turnover has lacked empirical evidence and dissemination of practical information requires further investigation into the relationship between work-life balance and intention to leave. Although flexible working is not currently prevalent in Asian cultures, recent concerns about work-life balance have caused major employers, including the Malaysian government and multinational companies (MNCs), to introduce family-friendly policies. The objective of this study is twofold: first, to examine the moderating effect of flexible working arrangements (FWA) on the relationship between negative work-home interface (NWHI) and intention to leave (ITL) and second, to determine the mediating effect of FWA on the relationship of NWHI and ITL. An online survey gathered 661 responses from participating organizations and a total of 382 valid responses were used in the hierarchical regression analysis for testing mediation and moderation effects. The data revealed that FWA did not significantly affect ITL when NWHI and FWA are constant although there was indeed a very small effect (change in R2value of 0.02%) with the inclusion of the interaction between NWHI and FWA on relationship between NWHI and ITL, F (1, 378) = 12.95, p<.001. Another interesting result of this study is mediation analysis has met a partial mediation effect as adding FWA the model increases the value of R2 from 0.086 to 0.091. Thus, the change in R2associated with adding FWA is 0.005 and the result shows that the inclusion of FWA in the model accounts for an additional 1% of the variance in ITL. The relationship between the NWHI and ITL is reduced when FWA as mediator is included in the equation of analysis (β = 0.35, p<.001). Flexible working is one possible option in family-friendly programs which aims to help employees manage their work and life commitments. Malaysia is still developing its policies on flexible working where awareness is limited and availability is still not widely implemented. We discuss the appropriateness of FWA in increasing retention, job satisfaction and employee commitment as part of a long-term strategy in the Malaysian context (cf Ahmad & Omar, 2010; Allen, 2001; Lewis, 2003).