Resumo

Intuition research has largely focused on an objective study of the phenomenon, which is understandable as this relatively young discipline seeks to establish credibility. Little attention has been paid so far to how prominent intuition researchers view the construct while their research is still in progress, and even less to whether and how they use intuition in their own work and teaching. To address this gap, we conducted a qualitative study using the dialogic method in order to extract current views of researchers on intuition and how it evolved since their recent publications.

No previous review study explored the authors' knowledge and potential for reflection in the field of intuition in a structured and systematic way. Therefore, this study examines how prominent researchers who study intuition understand the construct and apply it in their research and teaching.

Intuition is defined as a direct knowledge to identify solutions that happens through a holistic, unconscious, and non-sequential process of information retrieval, scanning internal resources stored in memory and external environment, involving cognition and affect (Sinclair, 2010; Sinclair & Ashkanasy, 2005). It involves feelings and emotions that can be present both in the process of intuiting and in intuitive judgments (Sinclair, 2010; Sinclair & Ashkanasy, 2005).

The study was conducted applying the dialogic method that occurs in two stages: (i) systematic literature review plus content analysis to understand relevant literature and current challenges reported in publications, identify most frequently cited prominent authors, and formulate the research instrument, and (ii) investigation of current views of identified prominent researchers, by means of a questionnaire with open-ended qualitative questions.

There are some challenges to clarifying certain aspects of the construct, for example, understanding and differentiating the role of intuition from other similar processes that occur in unconscious decision making; for example, instinct, insight, creativity, tacit knowledge, implicit learning, wisdom, and deep intelligence (Burke & Sadler-Smith, 2006; Dane & Pratt, 2007; Hodgkinson et al., 2009). These are significant gaps to be addressed, as these limitations of the construct create barriers for the advancement of knowledge and for the design of future studies.

This study investigated prominent researchers who studied intuition as subjects and sources of knowledge, which appeared to be a fruitful path from an academic point of view. Offering the possibility to understand how they apply intuition to develop their research, the current challenges to develop the construct concepts, and different opportunities for the advancement of knowledge. We identified that although researchers study the topic and use intuition at different stages of the research development process, there is a critical gap regarding applying this concept in teaching.

Akinci, C., & Sadler-Smith, E. (2012). Intuition in management research: A historical review. International Journal of Management Reviews, 14(1), 104-122. Dane, E., & Pratt, M. G. (2007). Exploring intuition and its role in managerial decision making. Academy of Management Review, 32(1), 33-54. Evans, J. S. B. T., & Stanovich, K. E. (2013). Dual-process theories of higher cognition: advancing the debate. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 8(3), 223-241. Sinclair, M. (2010). Misconceptions about intuition. Psychological Inquiry, 21(4), 378-386.