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Article
Publication date: 11 May 2009

Stephen Long

Executive presence is demonstrated by leaders who achieve high performance while doing it the right way. Research conducted by The Institute for Level Six Leadership at the…

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Abstract

Executive presence is demonstrated by leaders who achieve high performance while doing it the right way. Research conducted by The Institute for Level Six Leadership at the University of Kansas and the United States Air Force Academy has shown that leadership skills can be acquired and developed. Leaders who are able to connect the ends of continuums such as action and thinking, the abstract and the concrete, and the theoretical and the practical experience heightened judgement, stronger character and greater emotional maturity within themselves and their followers. Four components of executive presence are identified in the paper:1. Successful track record2. Establishing trust through high performance3. Self‐management skills4. Relationship management skills.Using the Level Six Leadership concept as a foundation, seven American executives were interviewed on the topic of executive presence. Executives served in both the private and public sectors and it appears that executive presence can be developed in both segments of management.

Article
Publication date: 8 March 2021

Cong Feng, Jiong Sun, Yiwei Fang and Iftekhar Hasan

This paper aims to examine the presence of an executive with customer experience (ECE) in a supplier firm’s top management team (TMT). The role of ECE presence remains…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the presence of an executive with customer experience (ECE) in a supplier firm’s top management team (TMT). The role of ECE presence remains understudied in the marketing literature. This study attempts to examine the relationship between ECE presence and firm performance.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws on the resource-based view of the firm and adopts a panel firm fixed effects estimator to test the proposed hypotheses. The empirical analysis uses a sample of 1,974 firm-year observations with 489 unique supplier firms. Selection-induced endogeneity is mitigated through the Heckman procedure.

Findings

ECE presence improves firm performance. Additionally, firms benefit less from ECE presence if a board member with customer experience (BCE) is also present, if a chief executive officer commands a higher pay slice (compared to other executives), and if a TMT is more functionally diversified. However, ECE presence is particularly beneficial if the overall economy is in contraction. Comparing the functional positions held by ECEs reveals that ECE in the marketing function (as a chief marketing officer) offers the largest benefit to an average supplier firm. ECE presence is also associated with other firm outcomes (e.g. bankruptcy odds, innovation and customer orientation).

Research limitations/implications

This study makes four contributions to the literature. First, this research contributes to existing studies that investigate marketing expertise in the upper corporate pyramid. Second, the study contributes to the burgeoning body of work across business disciplines that attempt to understand the impact of CxOs on firm performance. Third, the study contributes to the vast literature on customer orientation indirectly. Finally, this paper contributes to the broader literature studying the influence of board and TMT characteristics.

Practical implications

The findings are of particular importance to business-to-business firms. This paper shows that suppliers can benefit significantly from managers with customer experience. Four contingency factors moderate the relationship between ECE presence and firm performance. Among the various functional positions held by an ECE, the findings suggest that hiring an ECE for the marketing functional area is the most beneficial. ECE stands out as a better option for a company than BCE to improve firm performance. ECE presence is also associated with bankruptcy odds, innovation and customer orientation.

Originality/value

This paper provides the first empirical evidence regarding how ECE affects firm performance and also extends prior research on the value of human capital in TMT.

Article
Publication date: 15 February 2011

David Brady, Katelin Isaacs, Martha Reeves, Rebekah Burroway and Megan Reynolds

Although women remain substantially underrepresented in the top echelons of large corporations, a non‐trivial presence of female executives has emerged in recent years. The…

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Abstract

Purpose

Although women remain substantially underrepresented in the top echelons of large corporations, a non‐trivial presence of female executives has emerged in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the firm characteristics that predict the sex of the executive office holder, classifying the plausible firm characteristics that could explain the presence of female executives into four explanations: sector, size, stability, and scandal.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides perhaps the first large‐sample analyses of the sex of executive officers in Fortune 500 firms by analyzing a sample of 3,691 executives in 444 Fortune 500 companies.

Findings

In the paper's sample, 252 of the executives, or 6.4 percent of the sample, are women. The authors' analyses reveal that women are less likely to be chief executive officers and chief operations officers, but more likely to be chief corporate officers and general counsels. Female executives are somewhat less likely to be present in the construction sector, but there is evidence that they are more likely to be present in retail trade. Firms with greater assets and sales growth are less likely to have female executives. Using originally collected data, it is shown that firms that have experienced a scandal in recent years are more likely to have female executives. However, the nature and quantity of scandals do not have significant effects.

Originality/value

Ultimately, the authors' analyses reveal that key firm characteristics predict whether an executive office is held by a woman.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 November 2016

Christopher R. Reutzel, Carrie A. Belsito and Jamie D. Collins

This study aims to draw upon research from strategic human resource management (HRM) and strategic management to examine how HRM demands influence the likelihood that chief…

1926

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to draw upon research from strategic human resource management (HRM) and strategic management to examine how HRM demands influence the likelihood that chief executive officers (CEOs) will staff top management with a human resource (HR) executive.

Design/methodology/approach

The theory and hypotheses developed in this study are tested on a sample of US initial public offering firms from the calendar year 2007, using logistic regression.

Findings

The results of hypothesis tests suggest that HR executive presence in top management is positively related to the HRM demands faced by a CEO stemming from product/service innovation strategies, the number of HRs employed by the firm and CEO’s financial orientation.

Research limitations/implications

The results of this study may not generalize to other settings. This study does not simultaneously consider the role of other structural forms which may increase or reduce the degree of HRM demands faced by the CEO. This study extends prior research on executive job demands by expanding the understanding of factors which give rise to HRM sources of executive job demands. Study results suggest that CEOs with financial orientations are more likely to staff their top management teams with an HR executive, which suggests that in the face of executive job demands stemming from a particular functional area, CEOs delegate responsibility for that function to another member of top management. This finding suggests that CEOs can, and in fact do, recognize the limitations engendered by their experiences and that when confronted with a specific type of executive job demand that does not align with their expertise, they take steps to address their individual limitations by appointing others that are more capable of addressing the particular source of executive job demand.

Practical implications

Study results suggest that product/service innovation strategies, CEO’s financial background and the number of HRs employed by the firm increase the likelihood of HR functional representation in top management.

Originality/value

The theory and results of this study extend the focus of extant research on factors giving rise to HRM’s functional representation in top management. Although prior research has emphasized the role of ownership characteristics and risk preferences in the adoption of this structural form, this study examines the role of CEO HRM demands. This approach allows for the integration of the upper echelons theory with the strategic HRM literature and provides an empirical examination of CEO job demands arising from the HRM function.

Details

International Journal of Organizational Analysis, vol. 24 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1934-8835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 June 2023

Charlotte D. Shelton and Monica Haisheng Wu

This study aims to identify the specific challenges that North American female professionals of Asian descent face in building executive presence and make recommendations for…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to identify the specific challenges that North American female professionals of Asian descent face in building executive presence and make recommendations for mitigating those challenges.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth interviews were conducted with 14 female executives of Asian descent in diverse U.S. and Canadian organizations. The goal was to explore their perceptions of Asian organizational stereotypes and identify how these perceptions, shaped by their cultural and gender identities, have created unique challenges relating to executive presence. Interviewees provided in-depth examples of their challenges and detailed recommendations for neutralizing them. Interview data were coded and analyzed using the Gioia methodology.

Findings

Results revealed that deferential, reserved and hardworking are the top three perceptions attributed to female professionals of Asian descent working in North America. These perceptions are not commendatory or derogatory by themself. They can be associated with either positive or negative leadership qualities, depending on the specific behaviors exhibited and how those behaviors are interpreted. The authors’ analysis maps the relationship between these perceptions and behaviors associated with the executive presence literature. The respondents’ three key recommendations for neutralizing the negative connotations of these perceptions are discussed.

Practical implications

The results of this study reinforce the need to develop influence, communication and relational skills (e.g. executive presence) in women of Asian ethnicity. The study respondents’ recommendations provide a foundational curriculum guide for doing so. The results also support the need to train hiring managers to become ever more aware of their cultural biases, focusing on how these biases impact their hiring, performance evaluation and promotion practices.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of research regarding the career experiences of Asian women working in North American corporations. This qualitative study provides insight into relationships between cultural identity, executive presence and career success and lays the groundwork for future quantitative studies that deepen a theoretical understanding of the relationship of executive presence to impression management and cross-cultural theories.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal , vol. 38 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 October 2022

Chen Liu and Yan Wendy Wu

The authors investigate how a gender-diverse board, a gender-diverse executive team, or a female chief executive officer (CEO) impact bank balance sheet and equity risk.

Abstract

Purpose

The authors investigate how a gender-diverse board, a gender-diverse executive team, or a female chief executive officer (CEO) impact bank balance sheet and equity risk.

Design/methodology/approach

Using panel data of U.S. bank holding companies over the period of 1992–2019, the authors conduct panel regressions with bank and year-fixed effects to analyze how female directors, female executives, and female CEOs impact a wide range of bank risk measures, controlling for the bank, board and executive characteristics.

Findings

The authors find female directors significantly reduce all types of risk. Female executives reduce some balance sheet risk but have an insignificant effect on bank equity risk. However, the presence of female CEOs does not significantly reduce bank risk-taking. During financial crises, female CEOs even increase equity risk.

Social implications

The findings are important to shed light on the ongoing debate on how gender quota policy could be efficiently used to balance the need for gender diversity while ensuring corporate performance. It could also improve social welfare by guiding proper public policy to ensure the efficient use of social labor capital and curb banks' excessive risk-taking incentives.

Originality/value

The authors provide the first empirical evidence demonstrating that female directors and female executives in the banking industry have different impacts on bank risk-taking. The authors also provide the first empirical evidence that female leaders have a different impact on two different types of risks: balance sheet and equity risk. The study is also the first to analyze the impact of female executives over multiple financial crises.

Details

Managerial Finance, vol. 49 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0307-4358

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2001

James Kelly

The 1990s literature portrays the corporate personnel/HR function as in decline due to the decentralisation and delayering of large organisations. As a result personnel’s presence

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Abstract

The 1990s literature portrays the corporate personnel/HR function as in decline due to the decentralisation and delayering of large organisations. As a result personnel’s presence on boards of directors and participation in the formation of corporate business and HR strategies cannot survive. This paper challenges this view arguing that strategies do not originate at main board of director level but at the CEO executive group level in most cases. Research has shown the personnel/HR function’s involvement at this level to be higher than on main boards. Other recent evidence has accorded personnel a higher strategic role in MNCs, especially regarding the staffing and development of an international cadre of managers. This evidence however supports the view that personnel’s corporate presence declined from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s before picking up, whereas the paper’s argument favours a steady growth thesis from the early 1970s. Additionally the dominant perspective contains an overly top down view of strategy formation whereas this paper argues for a counter‐balancing bottom up influence on strategy formation.

Details

Employee Relations, vol. 23 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 January 2023

Peter Kodjo Luh and Baah Aye Kusi

This study aims to investigate the impact of female chairperson, female chief executive officer and presence of females on boards on listed firms’ profitability using data from…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of female chairperson, female chief executive officer and presence of females on boards on listed firms’ profitability using data from Ghana.

Design/methodology/approach

This study used ordinary least square estimation and generalized least square (i.e. fixed and random effect estimation techniques) estimation on the data of 15 nonfinancial listed firms on Ghana Stock Exchange between 2010 and 2020.

Findings

The results show that while males dominate corporate executive positions in listed nonfinancial firms in Ghana, females serving in top corporate executive positions like chief executive officer, board chairperson and female board membership positively impact listed firms’ performance in the form of return on assets, net profit margin and gross profit margin. These findings are consistent even when year and industry effects are controlled for. This suggests that enacting policies at the national and firm levels to encourage female participation in corporate executive roles/positions are critical for promoting firm performance.

Originality/value

This study extends extant empirical literature on the economic role of female executives in firm performance from the developing context of Ghana. With calls in literature for more studies on the subject matter in varied contexts and conditions, this study takes the discussion a step further by investigating whether the gender of those in positions such as board chairperson and chief executive officer matters in firm profitability in Ghana.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal , vol. 38 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 22 May 2009

Noel O'Sullivan

This paper seeks to investigate the holding of non‐executive directorships by CEOs in a sample of 387 large UK companies. The main objective of the paper is to ascertain whether…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to investigate the holding of non‐executive directorships by CEOs in a sample of 387 large UK companies. The main objective of the paper is to ascertain whether the holding of additional directorships by CEOs is influenced by the governance and ownership characteristics of their companies.

Design/methodology/approach

The approach takes the form of an empirical analysis of the holding of non‐executive directorships by 387 CEOs of large UK companies.

Findings

The study finds that 101 CEOs (26 per cent) hold at least one non‐executive directorship but the most any single CEO holds is three with the vast majority holding one other directorship. CEOs who also serve as chairman are more likely to hold non‐executive directorships while CEOs in companies with greater concentration of external ownership are less likely to hold other directorships. The study finds no evidence that either non‐executive representation or managerial ownership (including CEO ownership) influences the holding of additional directorships. The holding of additional directorships is positively related to company size, suggesting that the more complex environment in which CEOs of large companies operate leads to the offer of additional directorships.

Originality/value

The findings are important as they key into an ongoing debate on whether the holding of additional directorships by CEOs is consistent with good governance practice. The evidence presented here provides mixed information for governance regulators. While a significant majority of CEOs do not hold additional directorships, there is evidence that weaker board and external ownership monitoring is associated with a greater likelihood that CEOs will sit on other boards.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 47 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 January 2023

Richard Walton and Mark A. Tribbitt

This study moves beyond existing research on gender diversity to define a new construct – gender power. The study examines gender power within the top management team (TMT) and…

Abstract

Purpose

This study moves beyond existing research on gender diversity to define a new construct – gender power. The study examines gender power within the top management team (TMT) and its relationship to firm performance and firm risk.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilizes a cross-disciplinary combination of upper echelons theory and finance theory as a framework to further examine the impact of gender power within the TMT and its impact on firm risk and firm performance. Employing data collected for 2,570 American publicly traded small-, medium- and large-cap firms over a 20-year period, panel regression analyses were conducted for measures of firm risk and firm performance, beta and return on assets (ROA), respectively.

Findings

This study shows that gender diversity and gender power are two distinct constructs with different effects. The findings from this study suggest that gender power may be a stronger predictor of the relationship between firm performance and firm risk than simply gender diversity alone.

Research limitations/implications

This study was conducted based on a sample of publicly traded firms. These relationships may not be generalizable to firms in other contexts. Further, other variables representing firm performance and firm risk may add to this research.

Practical implications

Understanding the differences between gender diversity and gender power may allow firms to make more informed decisions when adding female executives to their TMTs.

Originality/value

This study proposes an objective representational indicator of structural power to measure the relative power of female executives of public companies that allows the expansion of existing research examining the distinction between gender diversity and gender power and their relationship to firm risk and firm performance.

Details

American Journal of Business, vol. 38 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1935-5181

Keywords

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