IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/worbus/v50y2015i4p674-686.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Foreign executive appointments: A multilevel examination

Author

Listed:
  • Greve, Peder
  • Biemann, Torsten
  • Ruigrok, Winfried

Abstract

As multinational enterprises (MNE) expand, their attachment to the country of origin is challenged by the need to adapt to an increasingly diverse geographical posture. We examine how these countervailing forces affect top management team (TMT) composition and test a model that associates foreign executive appointments with individual- and firm-level antecedents. Using multilevel data comprising 1446 TMT appointments at 360 large European firms between 2001 and 2005, we show that individual experiential characteristics, the type of TMT function, prior performance of the MNE, and the MNE's overall degree of internationalization are associated with foreign TMT appointments. We discuss how our findings contribute to the international business literature and complement recent research on the internationalization of TMTs.

Suggested Citation

  • Greve, Peder & Biemann, Torsten & Ruigrok, Winfried, 2015. "Foreign executive appointments: A multilevel examination," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 674-686.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:50:y:2015:i:4:p:674-686
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2014.10.012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090951614000868
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jwb.2014.10.012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kevin J. Murphy, 1986. "Incentives, Learning, and Compensation: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation of Managerial Labor Contracts," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 17(1), pages 59-76, Spring.
    2. Renee B. Adams & Benjamin E. Hermalin & Michael S. Weisbach, 2010. "The Role of Boards of Directors in Corporate Governance: A Conceptual Framework and Survey," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 48(1), pages 58-107, March.
    3. James Gillies & Mark Dickinson, 1999. "The Governance of Transnational Firms: some preliminary hypotheses," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(3), pages 237-247, July.
    4. Mellahi, Kamel & Collings, David G., 2010. "The barriers to effective global talent management: The example of corporate élites in MNEs," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 143-149, April.
    5. Farok J Contractor & Sumit K Kundu & Chin-Chun Hsu, 2003. "A three-stage theory of international expansion: the link between multinationality and performance in the service sector," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 34(1), pages 5-18, January.
    6. Davoine, Eric & Ravasi, Claudio, 2013. "The relative stability of national career patterns in European top management careers in the age of globalisation: A comparative study in France/Germany/Great Britain and Switzerland," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 152-163.
    7. Amy J. Hillman & Albert A. Cannella & Ramona L. Paetzold, 2000. "The Resource Dependence Role of Corporate Directors: Strategic Adaptation of Board Composition in Response to Environmental Change," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(2), pages 235-256, March.
    8. Dickmann, Michael & Harris, Hilary, 2005. "Developing career capital for global careers: The role of international assignments," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 40(4), pages 399-408, November.
    9. Kristina Dahlin & L. Weingart & P. Hinds, 2005. "Team diversity and information use," Post-Print hal-00480406, HAL.
    10. Clifford L. Staples, 2007. "Board Globalisation in the World’s Largest TNCs 1993–2005," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(2), pages 311-321, March.
    11. Yaping Gong, 2006. "The impact of subsidiary top management team national diversity on subsidiary performance: Knowledge and legitimacy perspectives," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 771-790, December.
    12. van Veen, Kees & Marsman, Ilse, 2008. "How international are executive boards of European MNCs? Nationality diversity in 15 European countries," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 188-198, June.
    13. Katja Rost & Soren Salomo & Margit Osterloh, 2008. "CEO Appointments and the Loss of Firm-specific Knowledge - Putting Integrity Back into Hiring Decisions," CREMA Working Paper Series 2008-27, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    14. Lazear, Edward P, 1999. "Globalisation and the Market for Team-Mates," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 109(454), pages 15-40, March.
    15. Luo, Yadong, 2005. "How does globalization affect corporate governance and accountability? A perspective from MNEs," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 19-41, March.
    16. Brooklyn Derr, C. & Oddou, Gary, 1993. "Internationalizing managers: Speeding up the process," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 435-442, December.
    17. Magnusson, Peter & Boggs, David J., 2006. "International experience and CEO selection: An empirical study," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 12(1), pages 107-125, March.
    18. Catherine M. Daily & S. Trevis Certo & Dan R. Dalton, 2000. "International experience in the executive suite: the path to prosperity?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(4), pages 515-523, April.
    19. Edward J. Zajac, 1990. "Ceo selection, succession, compensation and firm performance: A theoretical integration and empirical analysis," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(3), pages 217-230, March.
    20. Bruce Kogut & Harbir Singh, 1988. "The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of Entry Mode," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(3), pages 411-432, September.
    21. Raj Echambadi & James D. Hess, 2007. "Mean-Centering Does Not Alleviate Collinearity Problems in Moderated Multiple Regression Models," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(3), pages 438-445, 05-06.
    22. Nicholas A. Athanassiou & Kendall Roth, 2006. "International experience heterogeneity effects on top management team advice networks: A hierarchical analysis," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 46(6), pages 749-770, December.
    23. Nicholas Athanassiou & Douglas Nigh, 1999. "The impact of U.S. company internationalization on top management team advice networks: a tacit knowledge perspective," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(1), pages 83-92, January.
    24. Rajeswararao Chaganti & Rakesh Sambharya, 1987. "Strategic orientation and characteristics of upper management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(4), pages 393-401, July.
    25. Heijltjes, Mariëlle & Olie, René & Glunk, Ursula, 2003. "Internationalization of Top Management Teams in Europe," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 89-97, February.
    26. Schmid, Stefan & Dauth, Tobias, 2014. "Does internationalization make a difference? Stock market reaction to announcements of international top executive appointments," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 63-77.
    27. Nicholas Athanassiou & Douglas Nigh, 2000. "Internationalization, Tacit Knowledge and the Top Management Teams of MNCs," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 31(3), pages 471-487, September.
    28. Nielsen, Bo Bernhard & Nielsen, Sabina, 2011. "The role of top management team international orientation in international strategic decision-making: The choice of foreign entry mode," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 185-193, April.
    29. Greve, Peder & Nielsen, Sabina & Ruigrok, Winfried, 2009. "Transcending borders with international top management teams: A study of European financial multinational corporations," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 213-224, June.
    30. Szymon Kaczmarek & Winfried Ruigrok, 2013. "In at the Deep End of Firm Internationalization," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 53(4), pages 513-534, August.
    31. Daniel C Feldman & David C Thomas, 1992. "Career Management Issues Facing Expatriates," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 23(2), pages 271-293, June.
    32. A Rebecca Reuber & Eileen Fischer, 1997. "The Influence of the Management Team’s International Experience on the Internationalization Behaviors of SMES," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(4), pages 807-825, December.
    33. Deepak K. Datta & James P. Guthrie, 1994. "Executive succession: Organizational antecedents of ceo characteristics," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(7), pages 569-577, September.
    34. Sabina Nielsen, 2010. "Top Management Team Internationalization and Firm Performance," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 185-206, April.
    35. Dawn Harris & Constance Helfat, 1997. "Specificity of CEO human capital and compensation," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(11), pages 895-920, December.
    36. Jane E. Salk & Oded Shenkar, 2001. "Social Identities in an International Joint Venture: An Exploratory Case Study," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 161-178, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Andreas Haufler & Yukihiro Nishimura, 2023. "Taxing mobile and overconfident top earners," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 30(4), pages 913-947, August.
    2. Schmid, Stefan & Mitterreiter, Simon, 2021. "Understanding top managers’ careers: How does career variety impact tenure on the board?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 617-632.
    3. Schmid, Stefan & Altfeld, Frederic & Dauth, Tobias, 2018. "Americanization as a driver of CEO pay in Europe: The moderating role of CEO power," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 433-451.
    4. Zhang, Yameng & Sharma, Piyush & Xu, Yekun & Zhan, Wu, 2021. "Challenges in internationalization of R&D teams: Impact of foreign technocrats in top management teams on firm innovations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 728-741.
    5. Sarabi, Almasa & Froese, Fabian J. & Hamori, Monika, 2017. "Is inpatriate assignment experience a ticket to the top of a foreign subsidiary? The moderating effect of subsidiary context," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 680-690.
    6. Pisani, Niccolò & Muller, Alan & Bogăţan, Paula, 2018. "Top Management Team Internationalization and Firm-level Internationalization: The Moderating Effects of Home-region Institutional Diversity and Firm Global Focus," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 239-256.
    7. Conyon, Martin J. & Haß, Lars Helge & Vergauwe, Skrålan & Zhang, Zhifang, 2019. "Foreign experience and CEO compensation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 102-121.
    8. Georgakakis, Dimitrios & Dauth, Tobias & Ruigrok, Winfried, 2016. "Too much of a good thing: Does international experience variety accelerate or delay executives’ career advancement?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 425-437.
    9. Gietl, Daniel & Kassner, Bernhard, 2020. "Managerial Overconfidence and Bank Bailouts," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 202-222.
    10. Dauth, Tobias & Pronobis, Paul & Schmid, Stefan, 2017. "Exploring the link between internationalization of top management and accounting quality: The CFO’s international experience matters," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 71-88.
    11. Dimitrios Georgakakis & Mads E. Wedell-Wedellsborg & Tommaso Vallone & Peder Greve, 2023. "Strategic leaders in multinational enterprises: A role-specific microfoundational view and research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(3), pages 514-537, April.
    12. Schmid, Stefan & Wurster, Dennis J., 2017. "International work experience: Is it really accelerating the way to the management board of MNCs?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 991-1008.
    13. Biener, Christian & Eling, Martin & Jia, Ruo, 2017. "The structure of the global reinsurance market: An analysis of efficiency, scale, and scope," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 213-229.
    14. Gietl, Daniel, 2018. "Overconfidence and Bailouts," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 132, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.
    15. Gietl, Daniel & Haufler, Andreas, 2018. "Bonus taxes and international competition for bank managers," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 41-60.
    16. Adams, Mike & Baker, Paul L., 2021. "Does boardroom nationality affect the performance of UK insurers?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(5).
    17. Ilya R. P. Cuypers & Charmi Patel & Gokhan Ertug & Jiatao Li & Youtha Cuypers, 2022. "Top management teams in international business research: A review and suggestions for future research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(3), pages 481-515, April.
    18. Muellner, Jakob & Klopf, Patricia & Nell, Phillip C., 2017. "Trojan Horses or Local Allies: Host-country National Managers in Developing Market Subsidiaries," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 306-325.
    19. Thams, Yannick & Kelley, Keith & Von Glinow, Mary Ann, 2018. "Foreigners in the boardroom: The implications of attitudes toward immigration and conservatism in firms' sub-national context," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 8-18.
    20. Ponomareva, Yuliya & Uman, Timur & Bodolica, Virginia & Wennberg, Karl, 2022. "Cultural diversity in top management teams: Review and agenda for future research," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(4).
    21. Stefan Schmid & Simon Mitterreiter, 2020. "International Top Managers on Corporate Boards: Dissimilarity and Tenure," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(5), pages 787-825, October.
    22. Schmid, Stefan & Altfeld, Frederic, 2018. "International work experience and compensation: Is more always better for CFOs?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 530-543.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Schmid, Stefan & Dauth, Tobias, 2014. "Does internationalization make a difference? Stock market reaction to announcements of international top executive appointments," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 63-77.
    2. Szymon Kaczmarek & Winfried Ruigrok, 2013. "In at the Deep End of Firm Internationalization," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 53(4), pages 513-534, August.
    3. Michaela Wrede & Tobias Dauth, 2020. "A temporal perspective on the relationship between top management team internationalization and firms' innovativeness," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 41(4), pages 542-561, June.
    4. Ilya R. P. Cuypers & Charmi Patel & Gokhan Ertug & Jiatao Li & Youtha Cuypers, 2022. "Top management teams in international business research: A review and suggestions for future research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(3), pages 481-515, April.
    5. Stefan Schmid & Tobias Dauth, 2012. "Internationale Diversität im Top-Management — Eine empirische Analyse der DAX-30-Unternehmen," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 64(7), pages 772-802, November.
    6. Georgakakis, Dimitrios & Dauth, Tobias & Ruigrok, Winfried, 2016. "Too much of a good thing: Does international experience variety accelerate or delay executives’ career advancement?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 425-437.
    7. Schmid, Stefan & Wurster, Dennis J., 2017. "International work experience: Is it really accelerating the way to the management board of MNCs?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 991-1008.
    8. Stefan Schmid & Sebastian Baldermann, 2021. "CEOs’ International Work Experience and Compensation," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 313-364, June.
    9. Ponomareva, Yuliya & Uman, Timur & Bodolica, Virginia & Wennberg, Karl, 2022. "Cultural diversity in top management teams: Review and agenda for future research," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(4).
    10. Sabina Nielsen, 2010. "Top Management Team Internationalization and Firm Performance," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 185-206, April.
    11. Schmid, Stefan & Altfeld, Frederic, 2018. "International work experience and compensation: Is more always better for CFOs?," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 530-543.
    12. van Veen, Kees & Sahib, Padma Rao & Aangeenbrug, Evelien, 2014. "Where do international board members come from? Country-level antecedents of international board member selection in European boards," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 407-417.
    13. Stefan Schmid & Simon Mitterreiter, 2020. "International Top Managers on Corporate Boards: Dissimilarity and Tenure," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 60(5), pages 787-825, October.
    14. Sabina Tasheva & Bo Bernhard Nielsen, 0. "The role of global dynamic managerial capability in the pursuit of international strategy and superior performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 0, pages 1-20.
    15. Schmid, Stefan & Altfeld, Frederic & Dauth, Tobias, 2018. "Americanization as a driver of CEO pay in Europe: The moderating role of CEO power," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 433-451.
    16. Sabina Tasheva & Bo Bernhard Nielsen, 2022. "The role of global dynamic managerial capability in the pursuit of international strategy and superior performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(4), pages 689-708, June.
    17. Szymon Kaczmarek & Richard Nyuur, 2022. "The implications of board nationality and gender diversity: evidence from a qualitative comparative analysis," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 26(3), pages 707-733, September.
    18. Hsu, Wen-Tsung & Chen, Hsiang-Lan & Cheng, Chia-Yi, 2013. "Internationalization and firm performance of SMEs: The moderating effects of CEO attributes," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 1-12.
    19. Joan Freixanet & Gemma Renart & Alex Rialp-Criado, 2018. "The Impact of Managers’ Global Orientation on SME Export and Economic Performance," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(4), pages 571-604, August.
    20. Oxelheim, Lars & Gregori, Aleksandra & Randøy, Trond & Thomsen, Steen, 2013. "On the Internationalization of Corporate Boards," Working Paper Series 951, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:50:y:2015:i:4:p:674-686. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/620401/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.