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Are we on the same wavelength? Supervisor-subordinate cognitive style congruence and its association with
Faisal AlReshaid1, Alper Erturk2, Razan Alkhayyat3
1College of Business and Economics, American University of Kuwait, Safat, Kuwait.
Introduction:
Leaders' self-awareness is essential to leadership effectiveness. Cognitive styles-how individuals perceive and process information-are key factors in fostering self-awareness. Drawing on Social Identity Theory (SIT), this study explores whether cognitive style congruence between supervisors and subordinates enhances supervisors' self-awareness, and whether Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) mediates this relationship.
Methods:
We used a time-lagged dyadic design and multilevel polynomial regression to analyze data from 189 subordinates and 36 supervisors. Cognitive styles were measured across three dimensions: knowing, planning, and creating. We assessed congruence between supervisors and subordinates and tested LMX as a mediator of its relationship with supervisors' self-awareness in the context of transformational leadership.
Results:
Findings show that LMX fully mediates the relationship between cognitive style congruence (for knowing and creating styles) and supervisors' self-awareness. Additionally, LMX is highest when supervisors and subordinates share high congruence in these styles. No significant effects were found for the planning style.
Discussion:
The study highlights the value of aligning cognitive styles in leader-follower pairs. High cognitive congruence enhances LMX quality, which in turn fosters leader self-awareness-an important precursor to transformational leadership effectiveness.
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