The confusing state of the art in top management composition studies: A theoretical and empirical review

The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical and empirical review of the literature on top management composition. This research is theoretically inspired by the old tradition of group dynamics research and later insights into the effects managers have in shaping the course and fates of organisations. Throughout this paper we will develop a conceptual model linking team composition, behaviour and results. The paper also provides a critical discussion of the empirical findings in relation to the model and identifies some theoretical and empirical shortcomings in the research carried out so far.management and organization theory ;

Beyond the Three-Component Model of Organizational Commitment

Adding to empirically based critique in the last 15 years, this paper offers a critical conceptual analysis of the three-component model of organizational commitment in order to arrive at a unequivocal grounding of the concept in standard attitudinal theory. Using the attitude-behavior model by Eagly & Chaiken (1993), we demonstrate that the three-component model combines fundamentally different attitudinal phenomena. Instead, we argue that general organizational commitment can best be conceived of as affective commitment only, being a genuine attitude towards an object: the organization. Normative and continuance commitment, in contrast, appear to be attitudes regarding specific forms of behavior (i.e., staying or leaving) that may or may not follow from the affective bond with the organization. The conclusion of our analysis is that the threecomponent model fails to qualify as a general model of organizational commitment, but instead represents a specific model to predict turnover behavior. Therefore, we suggest limiting the use of the TCM to predicting turnover and to abandon it as a general model of employee commitment. We propose to return to the conceptualization of organizational commitment as an attitude towards the organization and to use Eagly & Chaiken’s model to generate specific models for predicting a broad range of organizational behaviors. Finally, we discuss the definition and measurement of organizational commitment, arguing that covering affective, cognitive and behavioral facets of this attitude helps to differentiate the construct from other constructs and to enhance the construct validity of measurement instruments.management and organization theory ;

Team locus of control composition, leadership structure, information acquisition and financial performance: a business simulation study

We argue that team information acquisition mediates the effect of the relationship of team locus-of-control composition and leadership structure on team financial performance in a decision-making context. Hypotheses were tested on 44 teams participating in an elaborate and lengthy international management simulation. As predicted, teams with high average internal locus-of-control scores performed better without leaders and with low locus-of-control heterogeneity. The opposite was found for teams with high average external locus-of-control scores. Contrary to expectations, teams with high locus-of-control heterogeneity did not benefit more from having leaders than teams with low heterogeneity. Information acquisition mediated relationships between locus-of-control composition and performanc

The genesis of top management team diversity: selective turnover among top management teams in Dutch newspaper publishing, 1970-94

We propose that executive team power strengthens a cycle of "homosocial reproduction" that is interrupted only when teams face such compelling needs for diversity as poor organizational performance, high corporate diversification, and tough market competition. Hypothesis tests in data from major Dutch newspaper publishers over 25 years did not support many of our benchmark expectations. Apparently, top management teams tend to close ranks when environmental complexity and pressure increase. Explanations and new research avenues are discussed

The Interaction between Personality, Social Network Position and Involvement in Innovation Process

Abstract This dissertation proposal investigates how personality and individuals’ social network position affect individuals’ involvement into the innovation process. It posits that people would feel inclined to become involved into the different phases of the innovation process depending on their Big Five personality traits. Additionally, this research elaborates on personality antecedents of social relationships and network structure. Furthermore, it accounts for the dynamic relationship between stages in innovation process and social network structure. Finally, it posits that there is potentially a mismatch between social network structure in different stages of the innovation process, and that this mismatch is caused by individuals’ personality. The suggested conceptual framework contributes to the innovation literature by enriching our understanding of why people create markedly different patterns of social ties in the workplace and how this tie formation process and personality influence innovation process. An empirical study aimed at testing the suggested propositions is suggested