IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/jorsoc/v58y2007i12d10.1057_palgrave.jors.2602346.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring new directions for research in problem structuring methods: on the role of cognitive style

Author

Listed:
  • L A Franco

    (University of Warwick)

  • M Meadows

    (The Open University)

Abstract

Prior research has argued that cognitive style can have a significant impact on group decision making. In addition, several scholars have proposed that cognitive style can play a key role in the design and use of group decision support systems. However, cognitive style has not received a great deal of attention in the problem structuring methods (PSMs) community. This is surprising, given that PSMs are specifically developed to support a group in their decision making. The purpose of this paper is thus to examine the significance of cognitive style within PSMs. The paper identifies and explores the role of four different cognitive style functions in problem structuring interventions. This analysis is carried out by focusing on the different tasks embedded within a group process supported by PSMs. Implications for the research and practice of PSMs are then discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • L A Franco & M Meadows, 2007. "Exploring new directions for research in problem structuring methods: on the role of cognitive style," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 58(12), pages 1621-1629, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:jorsoc:v:58:y:2007:i:12:d:10.1057_palgrave.jors.2602346
    DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602346
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602346
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/palgrave.jors.2602346?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Benbasat, I & Dexter, As, 1982. "Individual-Differences In The Use Of Decision Support Aids," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(1), pages 1-11.
    2. John C. Henderson & Paul C. Nutt, 1980. "The Influence of Decision Style on Decision Making Behavior," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(4), pages 371-386, April.
    3. Paul C. Nutt, 1990. "Strategic Decisions Made By Top Executives And Middle Managers With Data And Process Dominant Styles," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 173-194, March.
    4. D Shaw, 2003. "Evaluating electronic workshops through analysing the ‘brainstormed’ ideas," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 54(7), pages 692-705, July.
    5. Brightman, Harvey J & Elrod, Robert & Ramakrishna, Hindupur, 1988. "Matching problem diagnostic tools to managers' decision styles: A contingency approach," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 1-9.
    6. Jill R. Hough & Dt Ogilvie, 2005. "An Empirical Test of Cognitive Style and Strategic Decision Outcomes," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 417-448, March.
    7. Anne T. McCartt & John Rohrbaugh, 1995. "Managerial Openness to Change and the Introduction of GDSS: Explaining Initial Success and Failure in Decision Conferencing," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 6(5), pages 569-584, October.
    8. De Waele, Martin, 1978. "Managerial style and the design of decision aids," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 5-13.
    9. Roger J., Ronald H. Volkema Gorman, 1998. "The Influence of Cognitive‐based Group Composition on Decision‐making Process and Outcome," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(1), pages 105-121, January.
    10. Monica J. Garfield & Nolan J. Taylor & Alan R. Dennis & John W. Satzinger, 2001. "Research Report: Modifying Paradigms—Individual Differences, Creativity Techniques, and Exposure to Ideas in Group Idea Generation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 12(3), pages 322-333, September.
    11. N A D Connell, 2001. "Evaluating soft OR: some reflections on an apparently ‘unsuccessful’ implementation using a Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) based approach," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 52(2), pages 150-160, February.
    12. Lu, Hsi-Peng & Yu, Huei-Ju & Lu, Simon S. K., 2001. "The effects of cognitive style and model type on DSS acceptance: An empirical study," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(3), pages 649-663, June.
    13. Ruble, Thomas L. & Cosier, Richard A., 1990. "Effects of cognitive styles and decision setting on performance," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 283-295, August.
    14. A Taket, 2002. "Facilitation: some contributions to theorising the practice of operational research," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 53(2), pages 126-136, February.
    15. L White, 2006. "Evaluating problem-structuring methods: developing an approach to show the value and effectiveness of PSMs," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 57(7), pages 842-855, July.
    16. Joldersma, Cisca & Roelofs, Ellie, 2004. "The impact of soft OR-methods on problem structuring," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 152(3), pages 696-708, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. von Winterfeldt, Detlof & Fasolo, Barbara, 2009. "Structuring decision problems: A case study and reflections for practitioners," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 199(3), pages 857-866, December.
    2. Ion Georgiou & Joaquim Heck, 2021. "The emergence of problem structuring methods, 1950s–1989: An atlas of the journal literature," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(6), pages 756-796, November.
    3. G A Hindle & L A Franco, 2009. "Combining problem structuring methods to conduct applied research: a mixed methods approach to studying fitness-to-drive in the UK," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 60(12), pages 1637-1648, December.
    4. Abuabara, Leila & Paucar-Caceres, Alberto, 2021. "Surveying applications of Strategic Options Development and Analysis (SODA) from 1989 to 2018," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 292(3), pages 1051-1065.
    5. Sarah M. Staggs & Joseph A. Bonito & Jennifer N. Ervin, 2018. "Measuring and Evaluating Convergence Processes Across a Series of Group Discussions," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 27(5), pages 715-733, October.
    6. Osório, António (António Miguel), 2017. "Self-interest and Equity Concerns: A Behavioural Allocation Rule for Operational Problems," Working Papers 2072/290757, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Economics.
    7. Franco, L. Alberto & Hämäläinen, Raimo P., 2016. "Behavioural operational research: Returning to the roots of the OR profession," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(3), pages 791-795.
    8. White, Leroy, 2016. "Behavioural operational research: Towards a framework for understanding behaviour in OR interventions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(3), pages 827-841.
    9. Durugbo, Christopher M., 2020. "Affordance-based problem structuring for workplace innovation," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 284(2), pages 617-631.
    10. Franco, L. Alberto & Hämäläinen, Raimo P. & Rouwette, Etiënne A.J.A. & Leppänen, Ilkka, 2021. "Taking stock of behavioural OR: A review of behavioural studies with an intervention focus," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 293(2), pages 401-418.
    11. O'Keefe, Robert M., 2016. "Experimental behavioural research in operational research: What we know and what we might come to know," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(3), pages 899-907.
    12. Osório, António, 2017. "Self-interest and equity concerns: A behavioural allocation rule for operational problems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 261(1), pages 205-213.
    13. Siebert, Johannes & Kunz, Reinhard, 2016. "Developing and validating the multidimensional proactive decision-making scale," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(3), pages 864-877.
    14. Franco, L. Alberto & Rouwette, Etiënne A.J.A. & Korzilius, Hubert, 2016. "Different paths to consensus? The impact of need for closure on model-supported group conflict management," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(3), pages 878-889.
    15. W Hobbs & N J Curtis, 2011. "Theory and application of perceptual positions to data collection and analysis in military environments," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 62(9), pages 1753-1764, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Franco, L. Alberto & Hämäläinen, Raimo P. & Rouwette, Etiënne A.J.A. & Leppänen, Ilkka, 2021. "Taking stock of behavioural OR: A review of behavioural studies with an intervention focus," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 293(2), pages 401-418.
    2. Midgley, Gerald & Cavana, Robert Y. & Brocklesby, John & Foote, Jeff L. & Wood, David R.R. & Ahuriri-Driscoll, Annabel, 2013. "Towards a new framework for evaluating systemic problem structuring methods," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 229(1), pages 143-154.
    3. Abby Mello & Joan Rentsch, 2014. "Cognitive Style Diversity in Decision Making Teams: A Conceptual Framework," International Journal of Business and Social Research, LAR Center Press, vol. 4(4), pages 123-135, April.
    4. Abby Mello & Joan Rentsch, 2014. "Cognitive Style Diversity in Decision Making Teams: A Conceptual Framework," International Journal of Business and Social Research, MIR Center for Socio-Economic Research, vol. 4(4), pages 123-135, April.
    5. Siebert, Johannes & Kunz, Reinhard, 2016. "Developing and validating the multidimensional proactive decision-making scale," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(3), pages 864-877.
    6. Lami, Isabella M. & Tavella, Elena, 2019. "On the usefulness of soft OR models in decision making: A comparison of Problem Structuring Methods supported and self-organized workshops," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 275(3), pages 1020-1036.
    7. Matteo Cristofaro, 2016. "Cognitive styles in dynamic decision making: a laboratory experiment," International Journal of Management and Decision Making, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 15(1), pages 53-82.
    8. Sebastian Kruse & David Bendig & Malte Brettel, 2023. "How Does CEO Decision Style Influence Firm Performance? The Mediating Role of Speed and Innovativeness in New Product Development," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(5), pages 1205-1235, July.
    9. Gerrit H. van Bruggen & Ale Smidts & Berend Wierenga, 1998. "Improving Decision Making by Means of a Marketing Decision Support System," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 44(5), pages 645-658, May.
    10. L White, 2006. "Evaluating problem-structuring methods: developing an approach to show the value and effectiveness of PSMs," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 57(7), pages 842-855, July.
    11. Fuming Jiang & Subramaniam Ananthram & Jizhong Li, 2018. "Global Mindset and Entry Mode Decisions: Moderating Roles of Managers’ Decision-Making Style and Managerial Experience," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 413-447, June.
    12. White, Leroy, 2016. "Behavioural operational research: Towards a framework for understanding behaviour in OR interventions," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(3), pages 827-841.
    13. O'Keefe, Robert M., 2016. "Experimental behavioural research in operational research: What we know and what we might come to know," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(3), pages 899-907.
    14. Francis Marleau Donais & Irène Abi-Zeid & E. Owen D. Waygood & Roxane Lavoie, 2021. "A Framework for Post-Project Evaluation of Multicriteria Decision Aiding Processes from the Stakeholders’ Perspective: Design and Application," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 30(5), pages 1161-1191, October.
    15. Brocklesby, John & Midgley, Gerald, 2016. "Boundary games: How teams of OR practitioners explore the boundaries of interventionAuthor-Name: Velez-Castiblanco, Jorge," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 249(3), pages 968-982.
    16. Lu, Hsi-Peng & Yu, Huei-Ju & Lu, Simon S. K., 2001. "The effects of cognitive style and model type on DSS acceptance: An empirical study," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(3), pages 649-663, June.
    17. Small, Adrian & Wainwright, David, 2018. "Privacy and security of electronic patient records – Tailoring multimethodology to explore the socio-political problems associated with Role Based Access Control systems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 265(1), pages 344-360.
    18. E. Cools & H. Van Den Broeck & D. Bouckenooghe, 2006. "The Cognitive Style Indicator: Development and validation of a new measurement instrument," Working Papers of Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Ghent University, Belgium 06/379, Ghent University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
    19. J Mingers & W Liu & W Meng, 2009. "Using SSM to structure the identification of inputs and outputs in DEA," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 60(2), pages 168-179, February.
    20. T E van der Lei & W A H Thissen, 2009. "Quantitative problem structuring methods for multi-actor problems: an analysis of reported applications," Journal of the Operational Research Society, Palgrave Macmillan;The OR Society, vol. 60(9), pages 1198-1206, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:jorsoc:v:58:y:2007:i:12:d:10.1057_palgrave.jors.2602346. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.