Adaptive-Innovative Cognitive Styles of Australian Managers

This paper describes an empirical investigation of Australian midcareer managers which was suggested by Kirton's (1976) theory of adaptive‐innovative cognitive style. Two hypotheses were tested: (a) that broadly defined managerial functions can be subdivided on the basis of their internal or external task orientations, and (b) that the cognitive styles of members of the resultant subfunctions will be either predominantly adaptive or predominantly innovative. Data were obtained from a sample of Australian midcareer managers on Master of Business Administration programs (N = 123) who completed the Kirton Adaption‐Innovation Inventory (KAI) and provided detailed career histories. Expected patterns of task orientation and cognitive style were found. Managerial leadership should be sensitive to the preferences, abilities, and aspirations of those managers whose characteristic style is marked by stability and continuity as well as those whose contribution naturally takes the form of pathbreaking change.