Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Date

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Business Administration

Committee Chair

Frances Fabian

Committee Member

James Vardaman

Committee Member

Ji Hae You

Committee Member

Kurt Kraiger

Abstract

The effect of top management team (TMT) socio-demographic composition on strategic decision-making remains inconclusive, with prior research highlighting both its advantages and challenges. While socio-demographic diversity within TMTs can enhance creativity and information breadth, it also carries the risk of triggering relational conflict that may undermine team cohesion and disrupt effective decision-making. Despite the growing interest in TMT demographic heterogeneity and identity-based faultline strength, little attention has been paid to the chief executive officer's (CEO’s) role in mitigating its potential downsides. Drawing on ecological systems theory, this dissertation examines whether CEOs’ early-life experiences in fractionalized societies influence the TMT demographic heterogeneity-strategic change relationship. Using a panel dataset of S&P 1500 firms from 2003 to 2020, the results show partial support that CEOs who grew up in socially fractionalized cultures (i.e., in ethnically, religiously, and linguistically fractionalized societies) appear better equipped to sustain strategic change in the face of potential demographically-induced relational strain. This dissertation contributes to strategic leadership research by introducing social fractionalization experience as a previously underexplored factor shaping leadership capability. Additionally, this study also advances TMT literature by connecting CEO’s early life social experiences to intra-TMT dynamics and decision-making processes.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.”

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest/Clarivate.

Notes

Embargoed until 03-26-2029

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Available for download on Monday, March 26, 2029

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