Abstract
We present a comprehensive and integrative study of non-CEO executive mobility, proposing two complementary approaches: (1) mobility as a reactive process, driven by poor organizational performance (the dominant approach in prior literature) and (2) mobility as a proactive process, reflecting incumbent
TMTs’ patterns of (exploratory and exploitative) attention. Using a sample of 1168 observations proceeding from 197 US organizations (2000–2011), we empirically validate that non-CEO executives’ exit and inflow is driven by poor organizational performance, and that CEO replacement mediates this
effect (i.e., the so-called ‘sweep-out effect’). Furthermore, the probability of non-CEO executive inflow is higher when the incumbent TMT has a high level of exploratory attention and lower when there is a high level of exploitative attention. These ‘proactive’ effects occur over and above the ‘reactive’ processes of poor organizational performance.
TMTs’ patterns of (exploratory and exploitative) attention. Using a sample of 1168 observations proceeding from 197 US organizations (2000–2011), we empirically validate that non-CEO executives’ exit and inflow is driven by poor organizational performance, and that CEO replacement mediates this
effect (i.e., the so-called ‘sweep-out effect’). Furthermore, the probability of non-CEO executive inflow is higher when the incumbent TMT has a high level of exploratory attention and lower when there is a high level of exploitative attention. These ‘proactive’ effects occur over and above the ‘reactive’ processes of poor organizational performance.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 257-267 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | European Management Journal |
| Volume | 33 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2015 |
Keywords
- Non-CEO executive mobility
- TMT exploratory attention
- TMT exploitative attention
- Organizational performance