Adaptive Decision Making and Intellectual Styles

?This exciting publication provides the reader with a theoretical and practical approach to adaptive decision making, based on an appreciation of cognitive styles, in a cross-cultural context. The aim of this Brief is to describe the role of thinking-through different options as part of the decision-making process. Since cognitive style influences decision behavior, the book will first examine thinking styles, which involve both cognitive and emotive elements, as habits or preferences that shape and empower one’s cognition and emotion. The information contained in this Brief will be a useful resource to both researchers studying decision making as well as to instructors in the higher education sector and to human resource development practitioners, especially those working in international, multi-cultural companies.

Professor Francesco Sofo is the Director of the Centre for Research in Transnational Education Leadership and Performance in the Faculty of Education, University of Canberra Australia. He is a Fellow of the Australian Human Resource Institute and past winner of the Best Paper Award at the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management conference. His current research focuses on the area of educational leadership; teaching effectiveness and the effectiveness of work teams; transfer of learning, team performance and emotional intelligence and on the intellectual styles of leaders in China and Australia. He has published extensively about thinking styles, virtual teams, critical thinking, corporate psychopathy and compliance.

Dr. Cinzia Colapinto is Assistant Professor of Management at the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Italy). She obtained a PhD in Business history and Management from the University of Milan (Italy), where she has been post-doc fellow. She has been a Visiting Researcher at the Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science (United Kingdom), and at the Communications and Media Policy Institute, University of Canberra (Australia). Her main research topics are media management and economics, decision making and innovation management.

Dr. Michelle Sofo obtained her PhD from the University of Canberra at the age of 27 after being awarded two Chancellor’s Commendations, an Australian Postgraduate Award and a nomination for the Herbert Burton University Medal. Between 2004 and 2011, Michelle was a sessional lecturer of the University of Canberra’s Faculty of Education where she has been teaching in the first year core units of the Bachelor of Social and Community Studies. In the last five years, Michelle’s publication output totals three book chapters, 16 refereed journal articles and nine refereed conference papers. Michelle continues to be research active, with current interests in white collar crime, online consumer fraud, law enforcement, critical thinking, cross-cultural comparative studies and the transfer of learning. Michelle is currently an Adjunct Professional Associate to the Faculty of Education, Science, Technology and Maths.

Dr. Salvatore Ammirato is a Researcher and Assistant Professor at the Department of Electronics, Computer Science and Systems, University of Calabria, Italy, and External Researcher at the Centre for research in Transnational Education, Leadership and Performance, University of Canberra, Australia. Since 2005, he has been teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Information Management and Business Process Management. His main research interests are organizational learning, collaborative networks and business information management.