Today’s global economy and diverse workforce require leaders to navigate complex environments, demanding that they be highly adaptable. However, few studies have examined the cognitive resources needed to support this adaptability. This study examined the relationship between multiracial identity integration (MII) and leader adaptability, exploring the cognitive mechanisms of paradox mindset and attributional complexity. Using a sample of 182 multiracial leaders in the United States, results of a path analysis revealed that MII did not significantly predict leader adaptability, paradox mindset, or attributional complexity when controlling for other factors. Unexpectedly, attributional complexity had a significant but negative relationship with leader adaptability, contrasting with previous studies that positioned attributional complexity as a facilitator of adaptability in multicultural contexts. However, paradox mindset, cognitive flexibility, learning goal orientation, and openness to experience emerged as significant positive predictors of leader adaptability. These previously unexamined relationships enhance leadership scholarship by demonstrating that a paradox mindset, cognitive flexibility, learning goal orientation, and openness to experience significantly contribute to leader adaptability.
","abstract_html":"<p>Today’s global economy and diverse workforce require leaders to navigate complex environments, demanding that they be highly adaptable. However, few studies have examined the cognitive resources needed to support this adaptability. This study examined the relationship between multiracial identity integration (MII) and leader adaptability, exploring the cognitive mechanisms of paradox mindset and attributional complexity. Using a sample of 182 multiracial leaders in the United States, results of a path analysis revealed that MII did not significantly predict leader adaptability, paradox mindset, or attributional complexity when controlling for other factors. Unexpectedly, attributional complexity had a significant but negative relationship with leader adaptability, contrasting with previous studies that positioned attributional complexity as a facilitator of adaptability in multicultural contexts. However, paradox mindset, cognitive flexibility, learning goal orientation, and openness to experience emerged as significant positive predictors of leader adaptability. These previously unexamined relationships enhance leadership scholarship by demonstrating that a paradox mindset, cognitive flexibility, learning goal orientation, and openness to experience significantly contribute to leader adaptability.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Watterson, Ashley M"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Psychology, MA","degree_level":"Open Access Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["M. Gloria González Morales"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:41:17Z","subjects":["Attributional complexity","Cognitive flexibility","Identity integration","Leader adaptability","Multiracial identity integration","Paradox mindset","Organizational Behavior and Theory"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1071","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["M. Gloria González Morales"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Watterson, Ashley M"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-05-12T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Psychology, MA"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Attributional complexity","Cognitive flexibility","Identity integration","Leader adaptability","Multiracial identity integration","Paradox mindset","Organizational Behavior and Theory"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1071"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Today’s global economy and diverse workforce require leaders to navigate complex environments, demanding that they be highly adaptable. However, few studies have examined the cognitive resources needed to support this adaptability. This study examined the relationship between multiracial identity integration (MII) and leader adaptability, exploring the cognitive mechanisms of paradox mindset and attributional complexity. Using a sample of 182 multiracial leaders in the United States, results of a path analysis revealed that MII did not significantly predict leader adaptability, paradox mindset, or attributional complexity when controlling for other factors. Unexpectedly, attributional complexity had a significant but negative relationship with leader adaptability, contrasting with previous studies that positioned attributional complexity as a facilitator of adaptability in multicultural contexts. However, paradox mindset, cognitive flexibility, learning goal orientation, and openness to experience emerged as significant positive predictors of leader adaptability. These previously unexamined relationships enhance leadership scholarship by demonstrating that a paradox mindset, cognitive flexibility, learning goal orientation, and openness to experience significantly contribute to leader adaptability.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Role of Multiracial Identity Integration in Developing Leader Adaptability"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["M. Gloria González Morales"],"dc:creator":["Watterson, Ashley M"],"dc:date.available":["2026-05-12T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Today’s global economy and diverse workforce require leaders to navigate complex environments, demanding that they be highly adaptable. However, few studies have examined the cognitive resources needed to support this adaptability. This study examined the relationship between multiracial identity integration (MII) and leader adaptability, exploring the cognitive mechanisms of paradox mindset and attributional complexity. Using a sample of 182 multiracial leaders in the United States, results of a path analysis revealed that MII did not significantly predict leader adaptability, paradox mindset, or attributional complexity when controlling for other factors. Unexpectedly, attributional complexity had a significant but negative relationship with leader adaptability, contrasting with previous studies that positioned attributional complexity as a facilitator of adaptability in multicultural contexts. However, paradox mindset, cognitive flexibility, learning goal orientation, and openness to experience emerged as significant positive predictors of leader adaptability. These previously unexamined relationships enhance leadership scholarship by demonstrating that a paradox mindset, cognitive flexibility, learning goal orientation, and openness to experience significantly contribute to leader adaptability.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1071"],"dc:subject":["Attributional complexity","Cognitive flexibility","Identity integration","Leader adaptability","Multiracial identity integration","Paradox mindset","Organizational Behavior and Theory"],"dc:title":["The Role of Multiracial Identity Integration in Developing Leader Adaptability"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Psychology, MA"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:41:17Z"}