Cognitive complexity Job

Cognitive complexity Job complexity Cognitive complexity by job complexity

.14 -.25

.48

.03

.03

.17 .00 .14

1.51 0.79 3.28

p < .05

190 Academy of Management Journal February

discount the possibility tbat the results occur because the frequent use of a script makes it more accessible.

The results provide insights into how employees handle crises in their jobs. For minor goal-performance discrepancies, employees appear to use the more accessible script tracks. However, when they confront a major discrepancy, they adapt by using strategy structures or less readily accessi- ble script tracks. The research confirms Bartunek and Moch’s (1987) asser- tion that managers may use crises to unfreeze an accepted script track.

Managers may enhance the process of change by making employees aware of a goal-performance discrepancy and encouraging them to develop and test new strategies. Task force groups or problem-solving meetings might be used to develop and to encourage the implementation of changes. An understanding of the cognitive processes that are basic to the functioning of individuals in their jobs may be helpful in designing more effective train- ing programs that will improve the development and accessibility of script tracks for the performance of jobs. First, a manager should identify action sequences tbat are effective for handling job problems and the tracks that are effective for specific conditions; then, the most effective training method for encoding scripts and script tracks into memory should be designed. The number of vicarious rehearsals or enactments of the scripted behaviors re- quired for learning would vary with the complexity and difficulty of the behaviors. Gioia and Manz (1985) noted that traditional training based on vicarious learning and modeling have emphasized the performance of de- sired bebaviors. They suggested that employees should be trained to think about a model’s behaviors in terms of scripted sequences. Training will be more effective when employees are taught to engage in interpretation, sense- making, and understanding processes. The understanding of employee cog- nitive processes may also aid managers in other areas such as task and job design, motivation, job satisfaction, leadership, and communication. The results also suggest that managers should attempt to hire or promote cogni- tively complex employees for complex jobs and for jobs that require the use of a large number of script tracks.