The role and antecedents of contextual intelligence in complex decision-making environments: The case of the pharmaceutical/biotech sector

Objective: The objective of this article is to explore the concept of contextual intelligence (CI) as an important individual trait in complex decision-making environments and to understand its antecedents. Research Design & Methods: We surveyed 52 professionals from the pharmaceutical/biotech sector to explore the antecedents of CI behaviours by using Spearman’s rho correlation analysis, Student’s t-tests, and a two-stage cluster analysis. Findings: Gender does not appear to differentiate the level of CI, while age is only negatively correlated with future-minded behaviour. Respondents with doctorate education were characterised by a higher level of communitarian behaviours than those with lower education qualification attainment. Implications & Recommendations: In roles which are subject to VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) conditions, the integration of linguistics, cultural awareness, and analytical abilities are important besides interpersonal skills, especially in face-to-face or virtual interactions. Contribution & Value Added: Our study provides a novel empirical contribution to the concept of CI through an exploratory study of medical affairs professionals and their self-reported CI behaviour profiles, including several individual-level characteristics.