Managerial cognitive filter and intellectual intelligence in applied business research

Part-time MBA students participate in applied business research projects with their own managerial intellectual competence profile. I consider two components of the managerial intellectual competence profile. They are (a) the existing managerial cognitive filter and (b) managerial intellectual intelligence. Their roles in applied business research are depicted in Diagram 1.

Diagram 1: the notions of managerial intellectual cognitive filter and intellectual intelligence in the conceptual landscape of an ALRA-based applied business research project

The existing managerial cognitive filter (element 5 in Diagram 1) works as a intellectual cognitive filter of the student on comprehending information learned about the client system of his/her dissertation project. The fact is, some students are good at, e.g., human resource management while other at micro-economics/ strategic management. Thus, they are sensitive deferentially to the project background information exposed to them. The consequence is that, given the same project background, different students will produce a different diagram of management-concerns. The existing managerial intellectual intelligence (element 6 of Diagram 1) refers to the ability to acquire and apply intellectual knowledge to good use, e.g., production of a good quality applied business research report. The main determinants of this element are the student's intellectual learning mindset, thus also the motivation to learn, and personal resources, e.g., time available to learn, to support intellectual learning. Together, elements 5 and 6 of a particular student affects consequently the management-concerns diagram (element 1 of Diagram 1) and the associated theoretical framework (element 2 of Diagram 1) produced.

The dissertation project supervisor of the student plays an active role in the e-resources and other supportive infrastructure (element 7 of Diagram 1), but the supervisor is not expected to "instruct" or "order" the student, especially at a detailed level, what to do for his/her dissertation project.

The agile literature review approach (ALRA) offers useful theoretical concepts and procedural guidance to the students, notably on the construction of the management-concerns diagram (element 1), the theoretical framework (element 2), the research methods mapped with clear justification  (element 3) onto the theoretical framework and a good quality theory-driven analysis and recommendations (element 4). Lastly, the conduct of the applied business research project in this ALRA-guided mode leads to managerial intellectual learning (MIL)  (element 8 of Diagram 1) on the student's part.