Human behavior is complex, as are the situations in which people find themselves. This is especially so when working globally and integrating across boundaries and diversity. Global leaders process large amounts of ambiguous information, and then must translate this information into creative solutions for complex problems.
The cognitive ability (and global leadership) required to run high-growth emerging markets is very different from what is needed for more highly developed, mature markets. For a leader to achieve sustainable growth requires the cognitive ability to confidently navigate the uncertain, volatile business environment.
This cognitive ability is significantly linked to job performance, and the magnitude of this relationship increases with job complexity (Source: Fiedler, 1986; Fiedler & Garcia, 1987; Gottfredson, 1997; Schmidt & Hunter, 2000). With integration responsibilities comes an increase in job complexity.
How does your company compete for – and then develop – leaders with cognitive ability?
