Abstract
Abstract
Purpose:
In data-intensive organisational environments, leaders may be increasingly called on to interpret predictive analytics, performance metrics, and real-time monitoring systems to aid organisational decision-making. While conventional leadership theories highlight behavioural skills and strategic judgment as key factors that drive leadership performance, data-intensive organisational environments may impose informational demands on leaders that, in turn, shape leadership performance. This study proposes the construct of cognitive load leadership, whereby leadership performance is seen to be mediated by cognitive demands that data-intensive organisational environments impose on leaders.
Design/methodology/approach:
Using a quantitative research approach based on a post-positivistic philosophy, this study proposes a deductive research approach to explore the relationship between cognitive load and leadership decision effectiveness within data-intensive organisational environments.
Findings:
The conceptual analysis suggests that informational saturation may impose cognitive constraints on leaders tasked with interpreting complex digital data environments. Cognitive load may, therefore, mediate leadership decision effectiveness.
Originality/value:
The study proposes cognitive load leadership, thereby expanding leadership theory to digitally mediated organisational environments and paving the way for further research on leadership performance within data-intensive organisational environments.