Synchronistic events and management decisions. A conceptual framework toward an Affect-Cognitive Theory

Despite the increasing trust on the digitalization of organizational activities, here it is strongly assumed that management decision making is still a matter of human being and his biased perceptions. To support this claim, it is considered and theoretically addressed the habitual phenomena of perceiving meaningful coincidences in the daily life and their effect on management decisions. Coincidences are pivotal in scientific discoveries and enterprises’ foundations. However, how their perception affects management decisions has been overlooked by management studies. To fill this gap, a conceptual framework based on Jung’s synchronicity principle and management cognitive literature has been built. In particular, it shows that affective states felt during the occurrence of meaningful coincidences – also called synchronistic events –activate a series of cognitive errors that drive the assignment of a symbolic content to the coincidences, resulting in different risk-oriented management decisions. The proposed theorization advances the behavioral strategy field, enhancing the understanding of the cognitive aspects surrounding management decisions.