Int. J. Innovation and Learning, Vol. 8, No. 4, 2010 393 Copyright © 2010 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. A factorial analysis of the managerial linear thinking model Constantin Bratianu* and Simona Vasilache Faculty of Business Administration, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Mihail Moxa 5-7, Sector 1, 016209 Bucharest, Romania E-mail: cbratianu@yahoo.com E-mail: simona.vasilache@gmail.com *Corresponding author Abstract: The paper outlines the factors of managerial linear thinking, by analysing data from a survey on 400 master students in Business and Economics. Managerial thinking is considered as a continuum between linear and non-linear thinking patterns. Starting from the distinction between linear and non-linear thinking patterns in managerial decisions, which explains the choice of the sample, we prove the pre-eminence of linear vs. non-linear thinking, in the considered population, and find out independent factors explaining this latent model, of linear thinking. The results and conclusions of the analysis signal which factors should normally occur in managerial thinking, as markers of the intrinsic linearity of some of the processes we come across. Keywords: factorial analysis; innovation; learning; linear and non-linear thinking models; managerial decision. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Bratianu, C. and Vasilache, S. (2010) ‘A factorial analysis of the managerial linear thinking model’, Int. J. Innovation and Learning, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp.393–407. Biographical notes: Constantin Bratianu is Professor of Strategic Management and Knowledge Management at Faculty of Business Administration, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania. Currently, he is the Head of the UNESCO Chair for Business Administration and Director of the Research Center for Intellectual Capital. He was a Visiting Professor at Tokyo University of Science and Technology, Osaka University, Kobe University, Japan, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas, USA, University of Applied Sciences at Steyr, Austria, and Modern University, Cairo, Egypt. He is co-editor of the international journal Management and Marketing. His research interests are in the fields of strategic management, knowledge management, intellectual capital, innovation management and university management. Simona Vasilache is University Assistant of Strategic Management and Cross-cultural Management at Faculty of Business Administration, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania. She is a Doctoral Student performing research in the field of learning organisations, and organisational intelligence, with applications to university hospitals. Her research interests are in the fields of knowledge management, cross-cultural management, intellectual capital, learning organisations and organisational intelligence.