Top management teams of internationalizing firms: Demography, social processes and learning at the top

The most important trends for firms during the last decade, in terms of what drives their competitive advantage, are globalization and technological innovation. It is important, both from a theoretical and a practical perspective, to understand what sort of leadership is needed to anticipate and manage these challenges. A variety of studies have explored how top management team characteristics (TMT) drive technological innovation. However, only a few studies have explored how the observable characteristics of TMTs influence international innovation; these studies are very partial and provide mixed results. Research presented in this thesis explores the precursors and consequences of TMT composition in the context of international expansion.