Title: Exceptional global leadership as cognitive expertise in the domain of global change

Authors: Joyce Osland; Gary Oddou; Allan Bird; Asbjorn Osland

Addresses: College of Business, San José State University, San José, CA 95192-0070, USA ' College of Business Administration, CSU San Marcos, San Marcos, CA 92056, USA ' College of Business Administration, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA ' College of Business, San José State University, San José, CA 95192-0070, USA

Abstract: Prior empirical investigations in global leadership are typified by a content approach using surveys or interviews. Research on how global leaders perceive and respond to their work context is scant. This investigation focused on global leadership as a form of expert cognition in the domain of global change. We employed applied cognitive task analysis and content analysis to identify how exceptional global leaders conceptualise their work contexts, approach their work, and develop their expertise. Our findings suggest that characteristics of the work context exert a strong influence on the type of expertise that global leaders exhibit. We conclude with a consideration of the implications of these findings and the expert cognition approach for future research on global leadership behaviour.

Keywords: global leadership; expert cognition; globalisation; cognitive task analysis; global change; international management; leadership expertise.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2013.056475

European Journal of International Management, 2013 Vol.7 No.5, pp.517 - 534

Published online: 10 Sep 2014 *

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