Making Sense of a Most Popular Metaphor in Management: Towards a HedgeFox Scale for Cognitive Styles

Timo Meynhardt, Carolin Hermann and Stefan Anderer
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Timo Meynhardt: HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Jahnallee 59, 04109 Leipzig, Germany
Carolin Hermann: Center for Leadership and Values in Society, University of St. Gallen, Dufourstrasse 40a, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Stefan Anderer: HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Jahnallee 59, 04109 Leipzig, Germany

Administrative Sciences, 2017, vol. 7, issue 3, 1-23

Abstract: Research on cognitive style has gathered momentum over the past 40 years, especially with respect to learning, problem-solving, and decision-making. This investigation adapts Tetlock’s hedgehog–fox scale for German-speaking respondents through three large-scale studies (n = 17,072) and examines the influence of cognitive style on employees’ public value assessments of their employing organizations. Our data led us to propose a revised and more economical HedgeFox Scale. In contrast with Tetlock’s findings, our results provide empirical and theoretical arguments for a two-factor structure. This shift in dimensionality affects the nature of the construct and aligns hedgehog–fox research with the latest developments in cognitive style research. Our results contribute to the ongoing interest in the dimensionality of cognitive styles and support the call for a more diverse picture. Finally, we provide recommendations for individuals and organizations.

Keywords: decision making; cognition; cognitive style; dimensionality; hedgehog–fox metaphor; public value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L M M0 M1 M10 M11 M12 M14 M15 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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