IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i11p4496-d1402050.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Top Management Team Stability and Corporate Innovation Sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Zukun Tan

    (Business School, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China)

Abstract

In recent years, there has been growing recognition that the stability of the top management team (TMT) significantly impacts the operation and management of companies. However, few studies have focused on the impact of TMT stability on innovation sustainability. Therefore, based on the upper echelon theory and the faultline theory, this paper takes China’s A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2022 as a sample to explore the impact of TMT stability on corporate innovation sustainability, as well as the moderating effect of executive faultlines on this impact. The results indicate that TMT stability is positively correlated with corporate innovation sustainability, whereas the executive faultlines significantly weaken this correlation. The mechanism test reveals that a stable senior management team can reduce an enterprise’s operational risk through the management functions of executives, alleviate the financing constraints serving as a stability signal sent by the company to investors and creditors, and thus promote the sustainability of innovation. Heterogeneity analysis demonstrates that the influence of TMT stability on corporate innovation sustainability is more pronounced in companies with a high percentage of executive shareholdings, non-state ownership, and CEOs possessing technical expertise. This paper combines the overall stability of the executive team with the differentiation of its internal subgroups, broadens the research perspective of the upper echelon theory, and serves as a valuable reference for the development of corporate executive teams.

Suggested Citation

  • Zukun Tan, 2024. "Top Management Team Stability and Corporate Innovation Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-27, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:11:p:4496-:d:1402050
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/11/4496/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/11/4496/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yao, Wenyun & Yang, Hang & Shi, Xiulian & Song, Zilong, 2024. "Top management team stability and debt concentration," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    2. Hochberg, Yael V. & Serrano, Carlos J. & Ziedonis, Rosemarie H., 2018. "Patent collateral, investor commitment, and the market for venture lending," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(1), pages 74-94.
    3. Xuemeng Guo & Ke Guo & Hanzhong Zheng, 2023. "Industrial Agglomeration and Enterprise Innovation Sustainability: Empirical Evidence from the Chinese A-Share Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-26, July.
    4. Philippe Aghion & John Van Reenen & Luigi Zingales, 2013. "Innovation and Institutional Ownership," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(1), pages 277-304, February.
    5. Bettina Peters, 2009. "Persistence of innovation: stylised facts and panel data evidence," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 226-243, April.
    6. Ma, Hongjia & Xiao, Bin & Guo, Hai & Tang, Sisi & Singh, Deeksha, 2022. "Modeling entrepreneurial team faultlines: Collectivism, knowledge hiding, and team stability," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 726-736.
    7. Mann, William, 2018. "Creditor rights and innovation: Evidence from patent collateral," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 130(1), pages 25-47.
    8. Li, Juncheng & Qin, Xiuting & Tang, Jian & Yang, Lu, 2022. "Foreign trade and innovation sustainability: Evidence from China," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    9. Lu, Zhengfei & Zhu, Jigao & Zhang, Weining, 2012. "Bank discrimination, holding bank ownership, and economic consequences: Evidence from China," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 341-354.
    10. Shenghui Ma & David Seidl, 2018. "New CEOs and their collaborators: Divergence and convergence between the strategic leadership constellation and the top management team," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(3), pages 606-638, March.
    11. Ju, Xiaosheng & Jiang, Shengjun & Zhao, Qifeng, 2023. "Innovation effects of academic executives: Evidence from China," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(3).
    12. John Antonakis & Samuel Bendahan & Philippe Jacquart & Rafael Lalive, 2010. "On making causal claims : A review and recommendations," Post-Print hal-02313119, HAL.
    13. Yuan, Rongli & Wen, Wen, 2018. "Managerial foreign experience and corporate innovation," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 752-770.
    14. Katerina Bezrukova & Karen A. Jehn & Elaine L. Zanutto & Sherry M. B. Thatcher, 2009. "Do Workgroup Faultlines Help or Hurt? A Moderated Model of Faultlines, Team Identification, and Group Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 20(1), pages 35-50, February.
    15. repec:cdl:oplwec:qt81q3136r is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Lucian Arye Bebchuk & Jesse M. Fried, 2003. "Executive Compensation as an Agency Problem," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 71-92, Summer.
    17. Mukherjee, Abhiroop & Singh, Manpreet & Žaldokas, Alminas, 2017. "Do corporate taxes hinder innovation?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(1), pages 195-221.
    18. Avramov, Doron & Cheng, Si & Lioui, Abraham & Tarelli, Andrea, 2022. "Sustainable investing with ESG rating uncertainty," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(2), pages 642-664.
    19. Jin, Xing & Wang, Meng & Wang, Qingyun & Yang, Juan & Guo, Yi, 2024. "Gender diversity of senior management teams and corporate innovation efficiency: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    20. Takao Kato & Cheryl Long, 2006. "Executive Turnover and Firm Performance in China," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(2), pages 363-367, May.
    21. Michele Fabrizi & Christine Mallin & Giovanna Michelon, 2014. "The Role of CEO’s Personal Incentives in Driving Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(2), pages 311-326, October.
    22. Wenxiu Hu & Jinzhu Du & Weiguo Zhang, 2020. "Corporate Social Responsibility Information Disclosure and Innovation Sustainability: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-19, January.
    23. Yan, Jingchi, 2021. "The impact of climate policy on fossil fuel consumption: Evidence from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    24. Jun Huang & Zhixin Duan & Mingsheng Hu & Yun Li, 2022. "More Stable, More Sustainable: Does TMT Stability Affect Sustainable Corporate Social Responsibility?," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(4), pages 921-938, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Wang, Liangcheng & Chen, Yizheng & Li, Wendi, 2025. "Facilitator or figurehead? The impact of academician shareholder on corporate innovation: Evidence from China," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    2. Yao, Wenyun & Yang, Hang & Shi, Xiulian & Song, Zilong, 2024. "Top management team stability and debt concentration," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    3. Deng, Bofu & Peng, Zhenge & Chan, Kam C. & Chen, Hongce, 2025. "Top management team stability and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    4. Dongying Du & Xiaojian Tang & Huaiming Wang & Joseph H. Zhang & Stephanie Tsui & Dongjie Lin, 2022. "CEO organizational identification and corporate innovation investment," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(3), pages 4185-4217, September.
    5. Hsu, Po-Hsuan & Li, Fengfei & Nozawa, Yoshio, 2025. "Options trading, managerial risk-taking, and brand development," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    6. Liang, Zhanyong & Qiu, Kangquan & Zhuang, Jiakun & Zhang, Qingyang, 2025. "Business environment optimization and corporate sustainable innovation: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    7. Huang, Yi-Hou & Liang, Woan-lih & Truong, Quang-Thai & Wang, Yanzhi, 2022. "No new tricks for old dogs? Old directors and innovation performance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    8. Chen, Zhibin & Xu, Yibin & Tian, Zongtao & Meng, Xu, 2022. "The Impact of Social Insurance Law on Corporate Innovation: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    9. Weixiu Li & Bo Li, 2023. "Intellectual Property Pledge Financing and Enterprise Innovation: Based on the Perspective of Signal Incentive," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-21, July.
    10. Narayan, Paresh Kumar & Narayan, Seema & Tran, Vuong Thao, 2023. "Patent-related intellectual property and corporate investment," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    11. Ziyang Li & Qianwei Ying & Wu Yan & Chenjun Fan, 2022. "Does just‐in‐time adoption have an impact on corporate innovation: evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(S1), pages 1599-1635, April.
    12. Gao, Kaijuan & Shen, Hanxiao & Gao, Xi & Chan, Kam C., 2019. "The power of sharing: Evidence from institutional investor cross-ownership and corporate innovation," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 284-296.
    13. Li, Yan & Zhang, Yiren & Hu, Jian & Wang, Zeyu, 2024. "Insight into the nexus between intellectual property pledge financing and enterprise innovation: A systematic analysis with multidimensional perspectives," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PA), pages 700-719.
    14. Zhang, Xuezhi & Wu, Wenxin & Zhou, Zixun & Yuan, Lin, 2020. "Geographic proximity, information flows and corporate innovation: Evidence from the high-speed rail construction in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    15. Bei Liu & Jinmin Wang & Xinle Tong & Zhihua Zhou & Zhaoxuan Qiu, 2024. "Institutional investor shareholding and the quality of corporate innovation: Moderating effects based on internal and external environment," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 45(1), pages 326-338, January.
    16. Ting, Hsiu-I & Wang, Ming-Chun & Yang, J. Jimmy & Tuan, Kai-Wen, 2021. "Technical expert CEOs and corporate innovation," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    17. Su, Zhong-qin & Xiao, Zuoping & Yu, Lin, 2019. "Do political connections enhance or impede corporate innovation?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 94-110.
    18. Natalie Elms & Pamela Fae Kent, 2023. "Nomination committees in Australia, outcomes for influence of a powerful CEO and diversity," Journal of Accounting Literature, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 46(4), pages 481-509, July.
    19. Wang, Qiong & Qiu, Muqing, 2023. "Strength in numbers: Minority shareholders' participation and executives' pay-performance sensitivity," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    20. Guo, Bing & Pérez-Castrillo, David & Toldrà-Simats, Anna, 2019. "Firms’ innovation strategy under the shadow of analyst coverage," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(2), pages 456-483.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:11:p:4496-:d:1402050. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.