Effects of Top Management Team Characteristics on Patent Strategic Change and Firm Performance

Patent strategy is increasingly recognized as a vital contributor in promoting core competitiveness of an enterprise. A top management team (TMT) has been indicated as one of the key factors driving changes in patent strategy. Based on upper echelons theory, this study examines how TMT characteristics, including, team diversity, emotional intelligence, and safety climate, influence enterprise patent strategic change and, hence, the business outcome. The data from 930 top managers in 228 enterprises showed that the changes in patent strategies are significantly influenced by the characteristics of top managers. These aforementioned internal TMT factors have diverse effects on the speed and scope of the enterprise patent strategic change, which in turn affects firm performance in a positive and negative way, respectively.

Top Management Team Diversity and International Expansion: Spanish Companies in China

This study investigates the relationship between diversity in the Top Management Team (TMT) of Spanish firms and the firms’ willingness to further expand in China, as a proxy for their international success. Data from Spanish companies with direct investment in China were collected through a questionnaire. Regression analyses were carried out to test the differential influences of multiple forms of TMT demographic diversity (age, gender, tenure, and functional experience). The moderating effect of conflict in an uncertain environment is also examined, as this offers potentially novel insights into the determinants of success in emerging countries. Results show that the effects of TMT diversity on international success are very much influenced by the perception of the conflict related to investment in a non-traditional market. The findings highlight the relevant negative role that conflict can exert in diverse TMTs in a growing developing economy.

Top Management Team Intrapersonal Functional Diversity and Adaptive Firm Performance: The Moderating Roles of the CEO–TMT Power Gap and Severity of Threat

While usually argued to be improving firm performance, the effect of top management team (TMT) functional diversity on firm performance is mixed. Bridging the TMT diversity, team adaptation, and threat-rigidity literature, we present a contingency model in which the relationships between intrapersonal functional diversity (at both CEO and TMT levels) and adaptive firm performance depend on the CEO–TMT power gap and severity of threat. To test our hypotheses, 270 firms, which have been severely affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, were selected from China's A-share listed companies. Multiple regression analyses have shown that a moderation of CEO intrapersonal functional diversity's effect on adaptive firm performance by the CEO–TMT power gap is moderated by the severity of threat. However, no significant main or interaction effect of TMT intrapersonal functional diversity was found. The findings of this study have implications for the recovery or improvement of firm performance in threat situations.

Top Management Team Knowledge Hiding and Enterprise Innovation Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model

Top management team (TMT) knowledge hiding, which is not only related to the normal operation of the team but also closely related to enterprise innovation performance, has been paid little attention to in the previous studies. Based on the theories of upper echelons, knowledge management, and innovation, this study proposed a moderated mediation model to research how TMT knowledge hiding affected enterprise innovation performance. In this model, TMT knowledge hiding was the independent variable, TMT creativity was the mediating variable, enterprise innovation performance was the dependent variable, and team competitive climate was the moderating variable. MPLUS7.0 was used for the CFAs to evaluate the discriminate validities of the key variables, and SPSS 22.0 was used to calculate the descriptive statistics, analyze the correlations between variables, make the multiple regression analysis, and process the data obtained from 612 executives in 53 TMTs. The results showed that TMT knowledge hiding had a significant negative impact on enterprise innovation performance; TMT creativity had a partial mediating effect between TMT knowledge hiding and enterprise innovation performance, and team competitive climate had a moderating effect on the relationship between TMT knowledge hiding and TMT creativity. These research results fill up the gap of the theoretical research in TMT knowledge hiding and provide scientific guidance to reasonably reduce or eliminate the phenomenon of TMT knowledge hiding and improve enterprise innovation performance.

Top Management Team Stability and Corporate Social Responsibility: The Moderating Effects of Performance Aspiration Gap and Organisational Slack

Although studies on the impact of senior executives on corporate social responsibility (CSR) are relatively sufficient, they take a static perspective when investigating the different attitudes of senior executives towards fulfilling social responsibility. Few studies consider the impact of the dynamic changes in a top management team (TMT) on sustainable corporate development, especially social responsibility. We perform regression analysis on 2010–2019 data from Chinese listed firms to examine the relationship between TMT stability and CSR performance and consider the moderating roles of the performance aspiration gap and slack resources. We find that TMT stability has a positive impact on CSR performance and that the performance aspiration gap and slack resources negatively moderate the relationship between TMT stability and CSR performance. This study expands the current literature on the relationship between TMT characteristics and social responsibility, sheds light on what situations can cause agency problems, and provides practical guidance for the sustainable development of a firm and adequate performance of CSR.

Teachers in the Top Management Team and Corporate Social Responsibility

Firms are required to consider all stakeholders’ interests and achieve coordinated development of the company, society, and the environment. Teachers are often associated with high moral standards and dedication to others. Top managers in the top management team (TMT) are responsible as corporate executives for corporate governance and outcomes. How top managers’ teaching experience affects corporate social responsibility (CSR) therefore becomes a meaningful question. Based on A-share listed firms in China from 2010 to 2019, we empirically analyze the effects of teachers as top managers on firm CSR performance. According to our sample, 13.75% of A-share listed firms have top managers with teaching experience in the TMT. We find that the occurrence of teachers in the TMT has a positive impact on CSR, especially on sub-indicators like shareholder responsibility; employee responsibility; supplier, customer, and consumer responsibility; and environmental responsibility. Firms with more teachers in the TMT exhibit higher CSR performance. Further results indicate that this effect is significant only when top managers are also directors on the board. We use the propensity score matching method to alleviate the endogeneity problem and obtain robust results.

Top Management Team Shared Responsibility and Non-Financial Performance of Star-Rated Hotels in Uganda: The Moderating Role of Innovativeness

This study aimed to examine the moderating effect of innovativeness on the relationship between Top Management Team Shared Responsibility (TMT) and non-financial performance of star-rated hotels in Uganda. A positivism research philosophy and an explanatory research design with a cross-sectional approach were adopted, while a multi-stage sampling technique; stratified and simple random techniques was used to collect quantitative data using self-administered questionnaires to a sample of 265 managers from 53 star-rated hotels. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were analyzed and a hierarchical regression model was used to test the set hypotheses. Results indicate a positive, significant relationship between TMT Shared Responsibility and non-financial performance. Innovativeness as a predictor of non-financial performance and also exerts a moderating effect on TMT Shared Responsibility and Non-financial performance of star-rated hotels in Uganda. Based on the findings the study concludes that under high level of innovation, TMT Shared Responsibility highly imprives non-financial performance of star rated hotels. Thus, hospitality management should create a conducive environment for innovativeness through research and development, rewarding creative ideas and responding to changes in the hospitality environment as these enhance performance. The novelty of this research resides in the moderating role of innovativeness in enhancing non-financial performance of star-rated hotels. Also, conceptualization of the TMT Shared Responsibility and innovativeness as intangible resources for enhanced performance.