More Foxes in the Boardroom: Systems Thinking in Action

Abstract

An organization's contribution to the wider public can be seen in different ways. Self-reported data from Switzerland and Germany indicate that top managers vary considerably concerning their awareness of various multiple realities. We explain this phenomenon by drawing on the notion of cognitive style, using the metaphor of hedgehogs and foxes. It is argued that research should move from a focus on moral awareness to value awareness in a very broad sense. Keywords Cognitive style • Top management • Value awareness • Hedgehog-fox metaphor • Complexity "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." F. Scott Fitzgerald (1956, p. 69

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

“…The hedgehog-fox metaphor has become widely acknowledged beyond political science, especially in the management field and in research into human behavior (Gomez and Meynhardt 2012;Silver 2015;Collins 2001;Kay 2011;Mitchell and Tetlock 2010). Management executives operate in fast-moving and complex environments and are confronted with mega-trends (Rüegg-Stürm 2002) that change the economy and business models.…”

“…Tetlock's distinction has drawn much attention, particularly in management practice (Gomez and Meynhardt 2012;Silver 2015;Collins 2001;Kay 2011;Mitchell and Tetlock 2010). In their study with top managers, Gomez and Meynhardt (2012) used a cognitive style perspective to analyze how managers differ in their value awareness, and their results provide reason to assume that cognitive style influences how individuals perceive organizations' roles in society.…”

“…In their study with top managers, Gomez and Meynhardt (2012) used a cognitive style perspective to analyze how managers differ in their value awareness, and their results provide reason to assume that cognitive style influences how individuals perceive organizations' roles in society. Those authors provide the basis for investigating cognitive style differences concerning public value evaluations-that is, an organization's contribution to society at large.…”

“…Public value differs from other concepts like sustainability or corporate social responsibility in that it allows a holistic view of organizations that considers not only financial outcomes but also the organization's contribution to social cohesion and quality of life as well as its moral behavior. Because we are interested in learning about factors that might be relevant for public value assessments, we build on the results of Gomez and Meynhardt (2012) study and analyze the relationship between cognitive styles and public value assessments. Since the public value concept calls for a multidimensional assessment of organizational action beyond merely financial aspects, investigating the interplay between cognitive style and public value makes it possible for us to find out how individuals differ with respect to their openness to integrate multiple viewpoints into their assessment and regarding focused assessment based on some key variables.…”

“…Judges with a preference for the hedgehog pole might be less integratively complex individuals who concentrate on a few key pieces of evidence and do not seek compromise. As another example, a study of executives found that top managers differ in their awareness of their organizations' contribution to society (public value), depending on their preferred cognitive style (Gomez and Meynhardt 2012). That study used the hedgehog-fox metaphor to differentiate between executives who tend to apply universal principles and overestimate their knowledge about the world (hedgehogs) and those who tend to appreciate plurality and allow for alternatives (foxes).…”