Microfoundations of Problem Solving: Attentional Engagement Predicts Problem-Solving Strategies

Organizations use a plethora of methods and tools to help their members solve problems effectively. Yet the specifics of how individuals solve problems remain largely unexplored. We propose and test a cognitive model of problem solving that integrates dual process theories into the attention-based view. The model suggests that diverse problem-solving strategies emerge in response to how individuals deliberate. Three studies provide observational and causal evidence in support of our model. The first study explores the strategies managers use to solve problems. We use think-aloud protocols combined with content, sequence, and cluster analyses to extract the key differences in how experienced managers solve problems. Two problem-solving strategies emerge from the data: one emphasizes mental activities related to framing, and the other emphasizes mental activities related to implementation. In the second study, we use a mixed factorial experimental design and mouse-tracking analysis to uncover the causal mechanism that explains the emergence of these two strategies. We then retest our hypotheses in a third, preregistered, study. We find that manipulating attention toward mental activities related to framing increases deliberation aimed at restructuring the problem elements. In contrast, directing attention toward mental activities related to implementation increases deliberation on the potential contingencies and consequences of the solution. Our findings provide empirical evidence about how problems are actually solved and support the idea that attentional processes are malleable enough to affect the choice of problem-solving strategies

The neuro-scientific foundations of the exploration-exploitation dilemma

What are the origins of the ability to continuously explore novel domains of activity while at the same time exploiting the current knowledge base with increasing efficacy? The conflicting objectives of exploration and exploitation compete for scarce resources, among which managerial attention is possibly the most critical. This paper integrates recent findings on the neuromodulation of attention to provide a foundational step in understanding how the mind of the manager handles the exploration-exploitation dilemma. Also, this paper proposes several possible ways to combine research in neuroscience, psychology and management to advance our knowledge of the microfoundations of managerial decision making

Tomorrow Is Another Day: How Motives of Entrepreneurship Relate to the Pursuit of Business Growth

Past research has suggested that small business growth plays an important role in economic growth. This paper presents three studies that examined the psychological process underlying the relationship between motives of entrepreneurship and business growth pursuit by focusing on the role of time perspective. The results from three studies (Study 1, N = 142, and Study 2, N = 181, mostly Western small‐business owners; Study 3, N = 254, Indonesian small‐business owners) demonstrated that opportunity‐based entrepreneurship was positively associated with business growth pursuit through increased future time perspective (Studies 1 to 3), whereas necessity‐based entrepreneurship was negatively associated with business growth pursuit through increased present time perspective and decreased future time perspective (Study 3). These findings help explain why some business owners avoid business growth by highlighting the vital role of time perspective in explaining why and how motives of entrepreneurship relate to the pursuit of business growth across social and cultural contexts.Social decision makin

Tracking entrepreneurial mind among university students through Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology

Entrepreneurship which has become a major influence for the development of modern nation and individual in respect of innovation, competitiveness and economic strength, is one of the important skills students nowadays should have as a preparation before they graduated from university. However, entrepreneurial venture is a challenging task especially for student. This study therefore is carried out to encourage student to be an entrepreneur by investigating the difference of mind behavior between students with and without entrepreneurial interest through functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology. The study was conducted on thirty engineering students that got high score and low score during entrepreneurial opportunity recognition (EOR) survey. The result indicates that student with entrepreneurial interest has a high opportunity recognition during the moment of finding the entrepreneurial opportunities from stimulus given due to their high attention and working memory function. This investigation hopes to give motivation among students on their inclination and enthusiasm in welcoming the entrepreneurial call