Role of Cognitive Styles in Business and Management: Reviewing 40 Years of Research Steven J. Armstrong, Eva Cools 1 and Eugene Sadler-Smith 2 Hull University Business School, Hull HU6 7RX, UK, 1 Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School, Reep 1, B-9000 Gent, Belgium, and 2 School of Management, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH, UK Corresponding author email: s.j.armstrong@hull.ac.uk In line with increased attention on the application of cognitive approaches to indus- trial, work and organizational psychology, the last 40 years have witnessed a growing interest in application of the cognitive style construct to the field of business and management.The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, we wish to advance under- standing of cognitive styles research by elucidating trends and perspectives related to business and management. Second, we identify gaps in the literature and promising areas of research that can be further developed. This is accomplished by means of a review of papers published between 1969 and 2009. Eight themes emerged from our analysis: (a) vocational and occupational issues; (b) national culture; (c) teamwork and interpersonal relationships; (d) learning; (e) decision making; (f) creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship; (g) sales and marketing; and (h) management information systems, information management and use. Third, we identify valid and reliable methods of assessment of cognitive style for use in business and management settings. Finally we draw a number of conclusions regarding the current state of cognitive styles research and promising directions for future research. Introduction Cognitive styles refer to consistent individual differ- ences in how individuals perceive, think, solve problems, learn, take decisions and relate to others (Witkin et al. 1977). They serve as high level heuris- tics in complex processes that are applied spontane- ously across situations and form an enduring basis for behaviour (Messick 1976). Origins of styles research are traceable to James (1890), Galton (1883), Jung (1923) and Allport (1937). The first major systematic study of cognitive styles did not occur until the 1940s when Witkin and colleagues developed the theory of field dependence–field independence (FDI) based on a continuum of modes of perception (Witkin 1949, 1950, 1952, 1962; Witkin and Asch 1948; Witkin et al. 1971). At one extreme, perception is dominated by the surrounding context (field dependent, FD). FD individuals adopt a global orientation to perceiving and processing information; passively conform to the influence of the field or context; adopt an inter- personal approach to problem solving; and prefer to work in unstructured situations. At the other extreme, target items are perceived as being separate from the surrounding context (field independent, FI). FI indi- viduals adopt an analytical orientation to perceiving and processing information; experience target items as discrete from their field or context; value precision and attention to detail; adopt an impersonal approach to problem solving; and prefer structured situations. 1 1 Cognitive styles are unrelated to intellectual abilities (Keefe 1988). Performance on all tasks will improve as intellectual ability increases, whereas the effect of cognitive style on performance for an individual will be either positive or neg- ative depending on the nature of the task (Riding 1997). International Journal of Management Reviews,Vol. *, *–* (2011) DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2370.2011.00315.x © 2011 The Authors International Journal of Management Reviews © 2011 British Academy of Management and Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA