How Do Experts Know That Their Intuition is Right? A Naturalistic Study on Executive Search Consultants

EasyChair Preprint 5623

Abstract

Previous studies on the role of intuition in experts’ decision-making allowed to discover intuition-based reasoning path experts use in situation where there is an absence of clear facts. This study aims to investigate how expert executive search consultants know when to trust their intuition, and how intuition influences their process of reasoning and decision-making. Results of the study indicated that consultants use intuition to provide an initial appraisal of a candidate, and that their intuitive answer is accompanied with a Feeling of Rightness (FOR), the intensity of which differs depending on the level of confidence in their intuition. Based on these results, a decision-making model was created that depicts how FOR influences consultants process of reasoning and decision-making. The purpose of this research is to collect relevant knowledge which will allow the creation of a decision support system for intuitive decision-making.

Keyphrases: Executive Search Consultants, Naturalistic study, decision making, experts, intuition

@booklet{EasyChair:5623,
  author    = {Matylda Gerber},
  title     = {How Do Experts Know That Their Intuition is Right?  A Naturalistic Study on Executive Search Consultants},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 5623},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2021}}