Leader Cognition: Improving Leader Performance Through Causal Analysis

Prior qualitative research has indicated that leader performance in complex environments requires active analysis of the key causes operative in the organizational system. To provide some quantitative evidence to bear on this proposition, 160 undergraduates were presented with a computer simulation task that placed the participant in the role of a university president in charge of raising educational quality on campus. Training in the analysis of causes was provided, along with additional manipulations which varied the quality of case readings as well as levels of complexity in the environment. Overall, it was found that training in causal analysis significantly improved leader performance. The implications of these findings for understanding leader performance in complex environments are discussed.