Relationship between managerial cognitive frame flexibility and managerial role performance

Abstract

This study aimed to further the research on dynamic managerial capabilities as a mechanism that allows firms to determine when to renew their capabilities and to break inertial tendencies in strategic decision-making. These capabilities require managers to exercise a high degree of cognitive frame flexibility by taking account of the environmental and organisational context when deciding on an appropriate firm response. This approach improves the likelihood of the firm attaining a sustainable competitive advantage. The specific purpose of this study was to test whether managerial role performance was impacted by managerial cognitive frame flexibility. This was supplemented by considering the roles played by managerial ambidexterity and market dynamism in this primary relationship. The quantitative study added to the research on managers’ cognitive flexibility and was based on survey responses from 203 South African managers. The results indicated a positive relationship between managerial cognitive frame flexibility and managerial role performance. Managerial ambidexterity and market dynamism were in turn found to moderate this relationship under certain conditions. The study’s findings offer valuable insights to business people and academics, particularly in emphasising the importance of cognitive flexibility in decision-making, which in turn can be used to develop sustainable competitive advantages in an everchanging business environment.