Purpose - To examine the psychometric properties and construct validity of the general decision making style (GDMS) questionnaire in two UK samples. Design/methodology/approach - The GDMS takes the form of a self-report questionnaire which identifies five decision making styles: Rational, intuitive, dependent, avoidant, and spontaneous. It was administered to samples of business studies undergraduates in two UK business schools. Analyses included scale reliabilities, test-re-test reliability, and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Findings - The instrument's internal and temporal consistencies were generally sound. Consistent with earlier studies, analyses undertaken on the two samples independently were generally supportive of a five factor model of decision making style. No relationships with gender or year of study were observed. Research limitations/implications - Whilst generally supportive of the GDMS, results suggest that further validation work is required. This could include consideration of the relationships between the GDMS and other measures of cognitive/personality style. Practical implications - The managerial implications of the strengths of and relationships between the different decision making styles observed are discussed. Originality/value - The paper fulfils a stated requirement for further validation study of the GDMS instrument. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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Purpose – Action learning has long been a recognized mechanism for ensuring deep and effective learning. The purpose of this paper is to describe an MBA program where the approach to study is informed and driven by action learning. Design methodology/approach – The nature, ethos, and theoretical foundations of this degree are described. Action learning principles are outlined, the design of the course is described and its contribution to participants and their organizations considered. Findings – The effectiveness of an action learning approach in management education is demonstrated through consideration of the program, the nature of the learning experience it entails, students' experiences and their uptake of learning, examples of which are discussed in the paper. Research limitations/implications – The paper shows how a program can be formulated with action learning at its core and some of the implications of doing so. It also discusses the impact that action learning has on the effectiveness of participants in the workplace. Originality/value – Take‐up of an action learning approach in formal management education has been slow, the paper offers a unique example of how this can be integral to a course and lead individuals to develop new managerial mindsets.

The Cognitive Style Index (Allinson and Hayes, 1996) is a relatively new measure which aims to assess an individual's position on an intuitionanalysis dimension of cognitive style. The CSI was designed specifically as a self-report measure for use with management groups in large scale organizational research. In this respect it is similar to the Kirton Adaption-Innovation inventory (KAI) (Kirton, 1976) which is a measure of a bi-polar style construct that reflects an individual's preferred mode for problem solving. The CSI has been used in a number of studies (for example: