The purpose of this paper is to contribute further insights into how cognitive styles influence managerial behaviour, using a qualitative approach.
Written testimonies were gathered from people with different cognitive styles, and content analysed (n=100).
Qualitative evidence was found for managerial style preferences in accordance with cognitive styles, leading to various ways of decision making, conflict handling, and giving feedback.
Future research should explore how these results can be linked to contextual elements and to managerial performance.
This study contributes to increased managerial style awareness, which is important for intrapersonal development and interpersonal cooperation.
This is one of a few studies that have sought to qualitatively grasp the implications of having a particular cognitive style. It provides relevant insights into task‐ and people‐oriented managerial practices beyond previous, mainly quantitative studies.
