The thesis by Thora Lou explores how top executives handle the cognitive and emotional challenges of leading organizations with competing demands. How these demands are managed, can considerably affect both short-term performance and long-term success.

Lou conducted a phenomenological study involving in-depth interviews with ten top executives. This approach allowed for a deep dive into their lived experiences, focusing on their cognitive processes and emotional responses.

Key Findings:

1. Dynamic Cognitive Patterns: Executives comfortable with embracing competing demands use dynamic cognitive patterns, shifting between opposing perspectives.
2. Emotional Equanimity: To tolerate stress from competing demands, leaders may develop and maintain emotional balance through a strong personal purpose and regular self-care.
3. Decision-Making Processes: Executives acknowledging the complexity of decisions related to competing demands tend to use slow, circular, and values-based decision-making processes. 
4. Decision Dynamics in Management Team: Executives with high cognitive complexity and who acknowledge the competing demands tend to seek consensus, challenge assumptions, and let the decision process emerge organically.

The study included a sensemaking process where the findings were discussed with the top executives. Here it became apparent that leaders’ awareness of their cognitive and emotional strategies for handling competing demands may be conducive to their leadership development. The executives reasoned that it is important to operate with an appropriate level of complexity when dealing with competing demands.

Over-complication may lead to depletion of decision power and lack of progress.

Kajuna ’ s interest in circular business innovation brought him to NHH

Jovinary Kajuna has studied banking and finance in Dar es Salaam and completed a master's degree in Kristiansand. The 28-year-old from Tanzania is now a PhD research fellow at NHH.

How electronic word of mouth affect consumers

On Monday 16 December Iffat Tarannum will hold a trial lecture on a prescribed topic and defend her thesis for the PhD degree at NHH.

Prescribed topic for the trial lecture:

Leading through tensions: Exploring the Cognitive and Emotional Foundations of Developing Paradoxical Leadership

Trial lecture:

Jebsen Centre (NHH)

Title of the thesis:

Cognitive and Emotional Aspects of Leading in the Face of Competing Demands: A Phenomenological Study of Top Executives

Defense:

Jebsen Centre (NHH), 12:15

Members of the evaluation committee:

Professor Marcus Selart (leader of the commitee), Department of Strategy and Management, NHH

Professor Ella Miron-Spektor, INSEAD 

Professor Arne Carlsen, BI

Supervisors:

Professor Inger G. Stensaker (main supervisor), Department of Strategy and Management, NHH

Professor Martin Friesl, Otto Friedrich University

Professor Jim Ludema, Calvin College

The trial lecture and thesis defense will be open to the public.

`Ambitious and politically relevant research´

Ole Kristian Dyskeland has received an award for the best PhD paper recently presented at a conference. The NHH doctoral student shares the prize with John S. Lilletvedt from UiB.

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