Construct validation of head and heart qualities in business education: An empirical investigation in Hong Kong

In investigating the managers' necessary qualities in making business decisions, Maccoby (1976) found out that there was a disparity in the perceived importance between "qualities of head" and "qualities of heart". "Qualities of head" were perceived as much more important and they led to a greater amount of rewards from business organizations. These qualities are akin to "thinking" (e.g., ability to take the initiative and pride in performance) while "qualities of heart" are aligned with "feeling" (e.g., sense of humor and generosity). However, there is little systematic research investigating the construct validity of this classification of business qualities. This study refines the measures and cross-validates the constructs by multiple samples and external criteria. The results indicate that the two constructs are distinct and have expected relationships with external criteria. Hong Kong business students also perceive the head qualities as more important. Implications for future research are discussed. Copyright © 1997 Hong Kong Educational Research Association.