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Broad topic: How do CEO and TMT influence strategic decisions and outcomes?

When looking at CEOs, one can look at their characteristics (i.e., age, gender, education) and/or experiences (i.e., industry, firm, function). The similar can also be done for TMT, which is often termed “TMT composition”. In addition, one can also look at TMT structure and their interaction. At the interface of CEO and TMT, one can look at how new CEOs shape TMT composition on a broad level or more specifically, whom is hired and who turning over post-succession.

When it comes to firm, one can look at firm financial performance and/or strategic decisions such as diversification, M&A, innovation, organization resilience, turnaround, etc.

Combining these, the following are some research question examples:

• How do CEOs’ prior board experiences shape diversification?

• Under what conditions would rookie CEOs outperform experienced CEOs?

• How do new CEOs shape TMT composition post-succession (who joins / leaves the team)?

• How does TMT structure influence strategic action speed?

• Would diverse TMT outperform in turnaround situations? Under what conditions?

According to the Upper Echelon Theory, Top Management Team (TMT) members are instrumental in shaping the organization's strategy, contributing crucial perspectives for strategic decision-making and execution (Hambrick & Mason, 1984; Georgakakis et al., 2022).

Krause et al (2022) define the TMT with three key elements:
“(1) The TMT is composed of executives of the firm who meet regularly (i.e., not merely leaders of independent business units or strategists who hand off plans),
(2) the TMT is composed of executives who are responsible to the CEO (i.e., exclusive of the CEO and outside board members), and
(3) the TMT is responsible for firm strategy and oversight of the implementation of the strategy."

Looking more closely at the TMT members as well as the TMT-CEO interface (ie. interactions) can bring valuable insight into how strategy is shaped ongoingly and executed effectively in organizations.

The following are examples of a few research questions around this topic:

• What role does TMT composition play in influencing the outcome of organizational change initiatives?

• What role does TMT change after a CEO succession play in long-term strategic change?

• What are the implications of TMT turnover on the continuity and consistency of change efforts?

• How are particular change initiatives impacted by adding specific expertise to the C-level TMT? (eg. How does adding a Chief Digital Officer to the TMT impact a global digitalization process over time?)

• How can organizations effectively manage and facilitate TMT transitions to optimize the outcomes of organizational change efforts? 

• What role does directors’ human and social capital play in board effectiveness?

• How does the board chair effectively lead the board?

• How do different board structures (e.g., committees) support the effectiveness of board activities?

• In which way can the board span boundaries within the board and ensure a balance between director discourse and alignment?

• How can the board chair effectively integrate newcomer directors?

• How do executive committees support or inhibit board activities?