Top management team diversity, ambidextrous innovation and the mediating effect of top team decision-making processes. Issue 3 (2nd April 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Ci-Rong; Liu, Yan-Yan; Lin, Chen-Ju; Ma, Hong-Jia
• Is Part Of: Industry and innovation. Volume 23:Issue 3(2016)
• Page Start: 260
• Page End: 275
• Publication Date: 2016-04-02
• Subjects: Top management team -- ambidextrous innovation -- decision-making processes -- upper echelon theory -- TMT diversity; Industries -- Periodicals; Industrial management -- Periodicals; Industrial policy -- Periodicals; 338.005
• DOI: 10.1080/13662716.2016.1144503
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1366-2716

Abstract

Abstract: Until now, the amount of evidences for and discussions of how a top management team (TMT)'s composition influences ambidextrous innovation are very limited. This article develops and tests a model that connects task-related TMT diversity and TMT decision-making processes to explain the heterogeneity in a firm's strategic focus on ambidextrous innovation. The paper is based on a questionnaire survey/analysis with sample of 179 TMTs from high-tech firms in China. The conclusion exhibits that TMT task-related diversity has a strong effect on a firm's strategic focus on ambidextrous innovation through strategic decision-making activities. The findings suggest that the TMT debate and decision comprehensiveness can mediate the relationship between TMT task-related diversity and a firm's strategic focus on ambidextrous innovation. Overall, these results suggest that involvement in debate and comprehensiveness of strategic decision activities may bring out the potential of a TMT's diversity in enabling them to focus on ambidextrous innovation strategy.