Findings in neuroscience can be applied to leadership and organization. This was explained by Karin Allport and Axel Esser of HGS in September 2016 in a seminar at HEC Paris (Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Paris). The participants were junior executives from the technical division of an international company.
With the advent of increasingly dynamic business processes, executives must be able to react more flexibly to changing conditions and make crucial decisions in a short time. Our brain already has the optimal conditions needed to meet these growing demands.
The fact that nerve cells (neurons) in the brain can re-form and build networks throughout our whole life is a relatively recent discovery; researchers also use the term 'neuroplasticity'. It is the prerequisite for all the multitude of factors which together make up mental agility.
These include self-regulation, creativity, resilience and fluid intelligence - the ability to recognize patterns and solve problems. Agile thinking and action are also reflected in executive functions, such as controlling behavior according to the requirements of the environment.
As explained by Axel Esser, the mental agility of an individual can be seen as a tension field between two poles: "The brain tends to automatically think along well-worm paths; on the other hand, it is curious about change. The joy of innovation and unknown challenges is the basis for agile leadership and organization. "
Axel Esser summarized that the seminar had given the participants new perspectives: "The more the executives know about these neural connections, the more purposeful they can be in training and using their mental abilities."