- 2015-03-09 (x)
- Voluntarism (x)
- Abbott, Marty (x)
- Search results
Search results
Show moreInvestors of venture backed firms, seeking to increase knowledge diversity, cognitive conflict, professionalism and charisma within their top management teams (TMTs), tend to accelerate the turnover of executives within these teams, often resulting in multiple cohorts of tenure. Paradoxically, this search for increased professionalism and beneficial cognitive conflict results in heightened affective (or role based) conflict. Past studies have identified an inverse relationship between charisma and affective conflict, on one hand, and a positive relationship between tenure diversity and affective conflict, on the other hand. This study is the first to integrate these two relationships while simultaneously seeking to identify whether identity group formation mediates the direct effects of charisma and tenure diversity on the level of conflict across the spectrum of both high and low performing firms. We find that tenure identity group participation and TMT team identity group participation indeed mediate the effect of CEO charisma on conflict. We also find TMT identity group affiliation mediates the positive effect of tenure diversity on conflict in low performing teams.
Doctorate of Management Programs
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Show moreVenture backed firms with both exceptionally high and relatively low growth experience a comparatively fast turnover of executives, often resulting in multiple cohorts within the top management team (TMT). These tenure cohorts often act like warring tribes, generating value destroying affective conflict. While several studies have validated the relationship between tenure diversity and affective conflict, none explain its source. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews with 34 executives from six U.S. venture backed private companies. Our results move beyond those of previous studies on tenure based affective team conflict by revealing its source to be strongly embedded "new" and "old" social identities within venture backed TMTs. Absent purposeful efforts by top management to forge a shared identity that subordinates the existing "old" and "new" identities, negative effects of affective conflict will likely trump the benefits of cognitive conflict.
Doctorate of Management Programs
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