Published Online:June 2026
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Soft Skills
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJSS030626
DOI:10.71329/IUPJSS/2026.20.2.41-53
Author Name:Subhashini Pasupuleti
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Management
Download Format:PDF
Pages:41-53
Managers face unique challenges in the Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible (BANI) environment.They confront ill-defined problems requiring swift action and operate in precarious environments where functional knowledge is of limited use. To thrive under such conditions, managers must display adaptive and goal-congruent behaviors. This paper examines the relevance of executive function skills in dealing with the vulnerabilities of dynamic business environments. It highlights the role of inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility in helping managers handle people, information, and task-related responsibilities. It advocates the relevance of training emerging managers in executive function skills to help them flourish in the BANI environment.
Executive function, an umbrella term for skills that engender adaptive and goal-directed behaviors (Banich, 2009), is indispensable for managing in the Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible (BANI) environment (Evseeva et al., 2021). Managers nowadays are grappling with unusual problems that differ from past ones. They confront tough-appearing situations that camouflage the fragility and vulnerability of global business systems.