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Article
Publication date: 12 April 2018

Teemu Makkonen, Allan M. Williams and Antoine Habersetzer

This paper aims to assess the often repeated, but empirically unconfirmed, supposition that there is a positive connection between foreign board members (FBMs) and firm…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the often repeated, but empirically unconfirmed, supposition that there is a positive connection between foreign board members (FBMs) and firm innovativeness and to set a research agenda for future studies on the topic.

Design/methodology/approach

The analyses are based on a large sample of firms within the European Union, utilizing patent and trademark data together with information on the national diversity of the boards.

Findings

The analyses confirm that there is a positive association between FBMs and firm innovativeness. Contrary to expectations, FBMs from less innovative countries than the countries of their host companies are more associated with innovative firms than are FBMs from more innovative countries.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides empirical support for propositions, drawn from resource dependency theory and group effectiveness/diversity theories, that diverse boards of directors can lead to greater firm-level creativity and innovativeness. It also outlines a detailed research agenda for future studies to build on the tentative findings presented in this paper.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that greater national diversity in the board of directors can enhance innovation.

Originality/value

Earlier studies on board diversity have not analyzed empirically the issue of national diversity. The originality of this paper lies in its attempt to address this gap in the corporate governance literature.

Details

Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, vol. 18 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 February 2022

Teemu Makkonen

It is commonly stated that increased board diversity leads to the heightened financial performance of firms via the impact that it can have on innovation, but the latter…

3357

Abstract

Purpose

It is commonly stated that increased board diversity leads to the heightened financial performance of firms via the impact that it can have on innovation, but the latter association has, thus far, remained empirically controversial. The aim of this paper is to shed light on this unresolved debate and gap in the literature via studying different types of diversity.

Design/methodology/approach

A meta-analysis was conducted on the existing empirical evidence on the topic to show whether such an association exists and compare cognitive (expertise and experience) and demographic diversity (gender, nationality and racial/ethnic).

Findings

The results show that there is indeed a positive and statistically significant association between board diversity and firm innovation. This association is driven more by cognitive diversity of the board members than by demographic diversity.

Research limitations/implications

Potential publication bias, heterogeneity in the quality of the existing studies and the diversity in operationalising innovation and board diversity remain as limitations to this meta-analysis.

Practical implications

Instead of focussing on selecting board members based on demographic (surface-level) diversity, selections should be based on the interplay of the experience, expertise and background demographic characteristics of the potential candidates. Otherwise, the minority members might face a “token” status.

Originality/value

The results of this paper suggest that there is a positive association between board diversity and firm innovation. Future research should examine why this link exists. Therefore, the paper concludes with a research agenda for the benefit of potential further studies.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 25 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 26 April 2022

Maria Merisalo and Teemu Makkonen

The purpose of this paper is to create a research framework to scrutinize how individuals' digital technology use produces tangible and intangible outcomes in online (digital) and…

1910

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to create a research framework to scrutinize how individuals' digital technology use produces tangible and intangible outcomes in online (digital) and offline realms.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies the Bourdieusian e-capital perspective to create a theory-based framework. The framework was used to guide a survey design to explore women's “social media-assisted reuse” at the micro-scale in Helsinki, Finland.

Findings

The paper argues that a new form of capital emerges when individuals utilize digital technologies in correspondence to their goals to gain added value that would be impossible or significantly more arduous to gain without the digital realm. The survey indicates that the respondents utilize the digital space – set objectives and gain capital-related outcomes – in correspondence to their differing social, economic and cultural positions and related resources in- and outside of the digital realm.

Practical implications

If digital spaces – due to social inequality and underlying power structures – become increasingly stratified, there will be significant impacts on how individuals from differing backgrounds gain accumulated forms of capital through the digital realm. The question is of great importance for battling inequality.

Originality/value

The paper enhances and synthesizes recent discussions on different forms of capital and outcomes of the use of digital technologies and presents a combined “e-capital–digital divide” framework that offers a more complete agenda for investigating the finely nuanced links between the inputs, outputs and outcomes of digital technology use.

Details

Information Technology & People, vol. 35 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-3845

Keywords

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