The role and antecedents of contextual intelligence in complex decision-making environments: The case of the pharmaceutical/biotech sector

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this article is to explore the concept of contextual intelligence (CI) as an important individual trait in complex decision-making environments and to understand its antecedents.

Research Design & Methods: We surveyed 52 professionals from the pharmaceutical/biotech sector to explore the antecedents of CI behaviours by using Spearman’s rho correlation analysis, Student’s t-tests, and a two-stage cluster analysis.

Findings: Gender does not appear to differentiate the level of CI, while age is only negatively correlated with future-minded behaviour. Respondents with doctorate education were characterised by a higher level of communitarian behaviours than those with lower education qualification attainment.

Implications & Recommendations: In roles which are subject to VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) conditions, the integration of linguistics, cultural awareness, and analytical abilities are important besides interpersonal skills, especially in face-to-face or virtual interactions.

Contribution & Value Added: Our study provides a novel empirical contribution to the concept of CI through an exploratory study of medical affairs professionals and their self-reported CI behaviour profiles, including several individual-level characteristics.

Keywords

Contextual intelligence, decision-making, VUCA, complex environments, decision-maker characteristics

Author Biography

Richard Evans

Doctoral Candidate at the Poznań University of Economics and Business, holds, among others, an MSc in Oncology of the Newcastle University and an MBA of the University of Wales. He has worked for over thirty years in the pharmaceutical industry across a range of both commercial and medical leadership roles at local country, regional, above-country, and global levels. He has maintained links with academia through his involvement as a previous external examiner for postgraduate courses for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) at Swansea Metropolitan University, TOPRA MSc in Regulatory Science (Pharmaceuticals and medical devices) at the University of Hertfordshire, and currently for the MSc in Regulatory Science at the University of Hertfordshire.

Piotr Trąpczyński

Associate Professor at the Poznań University of Economics and Business, Department of International Competitiveness at the Institute of International Business and Economics. His research interests include foreign direct investments and divestments, export performance and export exits, along with business models. He has published his research, among other things, in the Journal of World Business, Journal of Business Research, International Business Review, European Management Journal or the European Journal of International Management.

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