Adaptive Decision-Making in Action: Decision-Maker Profiles Under Time Pressure and Incomplete Information

Competitive intelligence increasingly requires decision-makers to extract actionable signals from abundant, incomplete, and rapidly changing information within compressed timeframes. Although decision research has extensively examined analytical and intuitive reasoning, less is known about how these modes combine into distinct person-level configurations. Using survey data from 246 employees and a person-centred analytical approach, K-means clustering based on Analytical Orientation, Intuitive Orientation, and Contextual Adaptability identified four distinct profiles: an Analysis-Dominant Profile, an Intuition-Dominant Profile, a Context-Adaptive Profile, and an Analytical–Intuitive Integrative Profile. External validation revealed a significant Profile × Analytical Burden interaction, LR χ²(3) = 29.00, p < .001, indicating that the association between Analytical Burden and negative responses to time pressure differed across profiles. The study develops the concept of Adaptive Decision-Making in Action, defined as the capability to maintain, switch, substitute, or integrate analytical and intuitive reasoning according to situational demands. The findings extend CI research beyond the analytical-intuitive dichotomy by showing that decision-making may take distinct configurational forms and suggest that decision development should focus on the adaptive use of decision modes rather than on a single preferred style.