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Entrepreneurial orientation and the interaction of top management team background characteristics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2020

J. Ruben Boling  and
Mariangela Vecchiarini Open the ORCID record for Mariangela Vecchiarini [Opens in a new window]
J. Ruben Boling
Affiliation:
The University of North Georgia, Mike Cottrell College of Business, 82 College Cir, Dahlonega, GA 30597, USA
Mariangela Vecchiarini*
Affiliation:
The University of North Georgia, Mike Cottrell College of Business, 82 College Cir, Dahlonega, GA 30597, USA
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: mvecchiarinipiazza@ung.edu
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Abstract

The current study draws on the upper echelons theory to examine the nature of the relationship between top management team (TMT) tenure and a firm's level of entrepreneurial orientation (EO). We find evidence of an inverted-U relationship between TMT tenure and EO using data from firms across three industries with varied industry dynamics. We further introduce a contingency element by demonstrating that TMT industry background heterogeneity moderates the relationship between TMT tenure and EO, where the inverted U-shaped relationship will be more pronounced when the heterogeneity is low and will flatten when the heterogeneity is high. The findings demonstrate the complexity CEOs and governing bodies face while shaping a diverse TMT that can affect EO.

Keywords

Entrepreneurial orientationindustry background heterogeneitytop management team characteristicstop management team tenureupper echelons theory
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , January 2024 , pp. 1 - 17
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press in association with Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management

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