The Attentional Architecture of Diversity: How Shared Intent Channels Cognitive Heterogeneity Toward Rapid Response

The Attentional Architecture of Diversity: How Shared Intent Channels Cognitive Heterogeneity Toward Rapid Response | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Attentional Architecture of Diversity: How Shared Intent Channels Cognitive Heterogeneity Toward Rapid Response James Aditchere, Prince Opoku This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7934774/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Top management team (TMT) diversity presents a strategic paradox: cognitive heterogeneity enriches environmental interpretation but fragments attention and slows consensus formation, undermining the rapid responses dynamic markets require. Existing research documenting these coordination costs treats them as inevitable consequences of diversity. We challenge this deterministic view by theorizing that the negative indirect pathway from TMT diversity through decision speed to market responsiveness is contingent and reversible depending on shared strategic intent—a collective cognitive frame that aligns diverse executives' attention toward common strategic priorities. Drawing on upper echelon theory, we argue that shared intent enables diverse teams to synthesize heterogeneous perspectives rapidly by creating attentional coherence, thereby accelerating rather than impeding consensus formation. Using multi-wave, multi-informant data from 224 manufacturing firms in Ghana, we demonstrate that when shared strategic intent is low, TMT diversity exhibits negative relationships with decision speed and market responsiveness—confirming prior research on coordination costs. Critically, these negative relationships reverse when shared intent is high Our findings challenging the inevitability of diversity's coordination costs, advancing a directional contingency perspective wherein organizational capabilities reverse rather than moderate relationship signs, and establishing decision speed as a sign-reversing mediator whose effects depend on integration capabilities. Management Top management team diversity decision speed market responsiveness shared strategic intent Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). All participants were informed about the purpose of the study, assured of confidentiality, and provided informed consent prior to participation. Participation was entirely voluntary, and respondents were free to withdraw from the study at any time without penalty. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7934774","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":534141809,"identity":"02dab907-3555-4531-8ab5-6334907c9fdf","order_by":0,"name":"James 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