Better the devil you know : Intra-firm socialization versus external hiring of dissimilar top management team members
ISBN
978-606-505-499-8
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2011-12-08
Author(s)
Abstract
This paper focuses on the emergence of demographic diversity at the top management team level. We argue that firms consider the pre-appointment socialization context of executive candidates and are more likely to appoint dissimilar executives who have previously worked with the organization, rather than to hire dissimilar applicants externally. Data from executive appointments during 2005-2009 at several hundred large European companies support our hypothesis that firms mitigate the perceived risk of increasing top management team diversity by hiring dissimilar executives from inside the organization. The study extends prior research on how top management team diversity emerges in organizations by highlighting the importance of the pre-appointment socialization context of executive candidates.
Language
English
Keywords
top management teams
diversity
external hiring
socialization
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Book title
Taking International Business to the Next Level: Emerging Issues, Strategies and Economies
Publisher
EIBA European International Business Academy
Publisher place
Brüssel
Event Title
37th European International Business Academy (EIBA) Annual Conference
Event Location
Bucharest, Romania
Event Date
08.-10.12.2011
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
208145