Research on the Influence of Executive Characteristics on the Innovation Capability of Listed Companies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/83yqsg97Keywords:
Characteristics of senior management, enterprise innovation ability, top management team.Abstract
Innovation is an important means to achieve national core competitiveness and sustainable development, and it is also a powerful driving force for corporate transformation and upgrading. As important decision-makers and managers of enterprises, the characteristics of top executives largely determine the direction and strategy of the company's development. This article selects data from the executive teams of A-share listed companies in China from 2015 to 2021, establishes an empirical research model, and comprehensively analyzes the impact of executive characteristics on the innovation ability of listed companies from two dimensions: homogeneity and heterogeneity of the executive team. The empirical results show that in terms of homogeneity, executives with higher average education level in TMT, higher proportion of executives with R&D and design backgrounds, and higher proportion of executives with overseas backgrounds are more conducive to corporate innovation. In terms of heterogeneity, the higher the level of heterogeneity in age, education level, tenure, and professional background of TMT members, the more it can promote the improvement of corporate innovation ability.
Downloads
References
[1] Tatikonda M V, Montoya-Weiss M M. Integrating operations and marketing perspectives of product innovation: The influence of organizational process factors and capabilities on development performance. Management Science, 2001, 47(1): 151-172.
[2] Amabile T M, Conti R, Coon H, et al. Assessing the work environment for creativity. Academy of Management Journal, 1996, 39(5): 1154-1184.
[3] Laursen K, Salter A. Open for innovation: The role of openness in explaining innovation performance among UK manufacturing firms. Strategic Management Journal, 2006, 27(2): 131-150.
[4] Fama E F, Jensen M C. Agency problems and residual claims. The Journal of Law and Economics, 1983, 26(2): 327-349.
[5] Yermack D. Higher market valuation of companies with a small board of directors. Journal of Financial Economics, 1996, 40(2): 185-211.
[6] Finkelstein S, Hambrick D C. Top-management-team tenure and organizational outcomes: The moderating role of managerial discretion. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1990: 484-503.
[7] Xiang G, Wang Y L. Research on the dynamic mechanism of sustained innovation in enterprises. Scientific Research Management, 2004(6): 108-114. (in Chinese)
[8] Sun H, Yang W W. Executive incentives, innovation input and innovation performance — based on the moderating effect of executive "dual" capital. Science and Technology Management Research, 2019(10): 9-16. (in Chinese)
[9] Guo Y. The signaling effect of government innovation subsidies and corporate innovation. China Industrial Economics, 2018(9): 98-116. (in Chinese)
[10] Chen Q Y, Lin S T, Zhang X. China's technological innovation incentive policies: encouraging quantity or quality? China Industrial Economics, 2020(4): 79-96. (in Chinese)
[11] Chen H, Zhang Y, Liu D X. Government subsidies, tax incentives and corporate innovation performance — an empirical study based on different life cycle stages. Nankai Business Review, 2019(3): 187-200. (in Chinese)
[12] O'Reilly III C A, Caldwell D F, Barnett W P. Work group demography, social integration, and turnover. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1989: 21-37.
[13] Amason A C, Shrader R C, Tompson G H. Newness and novelty: Relating top management team composition to new venture performance. Journal of Business Venturing, 2006, 21(1): 125-148.
[14] Bantel K A, Jackson S E. Top management and innovations in banking: Does the composition of the top team make a difference? Strategic Management Journal, 1989, 10(S1): 107-124.
[15] Wen F, Hu Y M. Individual characteristics of top managers and R&D investment in Chinese listed companies. Management Review, 2009(11): 84-91+128. (in Chinese)
[16] Knight D, Pearce C L, Smith K G, et al. Top management team diversity, group process, and strategic consensus. Strategic Management Journal, 1999, 20(5): 445-465.
[17] Hambrick D C, Mason P A. Upper echelons: The organization as a reflection of its top managers. Academy of Management Review, 1984, 9(2): 193-206.
[18] Herrmann P, Datta D K. CEO experiences: Effects on the choice of FDI entry mode. Journal of Management Studies, 2006, 43(4): 755-778.
[19] Lu X. Corporate human capital, R&D and independent innovation — based on empirical evidence from high-tech listed companies. Journal of Jinan University (Philosophy and Social Sciences), 2013(01): 104-117+163. (in Chinese)
[20] Li T, Gao Y. Research on the influence of top management team characteristics on corporate innovation capability. Modern Communication, 2022(02): 55-64+122. (in Chinese)
[21] Li J L, Yang Z. Board gender diversity, corporate social responsibility and technological innovation — an empirical study based on Chinese listed companies. Studies in Science of Science and Technology Management, 2019, 40(05): 34-51. (in Chinese)
[22] Wiersema M F, Bantel K A. Top management team demography and corporate strategic change. Academy of Management Journal, 1992, 35(1): 91-121.
[23] Camelo-Ordaz C, Hernández-Lara A B, Valle-Cabrera R. The relationship between top management teams and innovative capacity in companies. Journal of Management Development, 2005, 24(8): 683-705.
[24] Barker V L, Mueller G C. CEO characteristics and firm R&D spending. Management Science, 2002, 48(6): 782-801.
[25] Mousa F T, Chowdhury J. Organizational slack effects on innovation: The moderating roles of CEO tenure and compensation. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 2014, 15(2): 369-383.
[26] Finkelstein S, Hambrick D C. Top-management-team tenure and organizational outcomes: The moderating role of managerial discretion. Administrative Science Quarterly, 1990(3): 484-503.
[27] Wang X P, Wang X P. R&D background executives and corporate technological innovation quality — based on empirical evidence from Chinese manufacturing listed companies. Enterprise Economy, 2019, 38(8): 93-102. (in Chinese)
[28] Liu F C, Mo J X, Ma R K. Research on the impact of TMT overseas background on corporate innovation performance. Management Review, 2017, 29(07): 135-147. (in Chinese)
[29] Yuan R, Wen W. Managerial foreign experience and corporate innovation. Journal of Corporate Finance, 2018, 48: 752-770.
[30] Lin D, Lu J, Liu X, et al. Returnee CEO and innovation in Chinese high-tech SMEs. International Journal of Technology Management, 2014, 65(1-4): 151-171.
[31] Wu J X, Wu G S. An empirical study on the relationship between external organizational integration and new product development performance: with product innovativeness as moderator. Studies in Science of Science and Technology Management, 2008(12): 58-62. (in Chinese)
[32] Sun H F, Yao Z H, Yan M S. The impact of TMT demographic characteristics on operating performance of textile and IT companies. Nankai Business Review, 2006(6): 61-67. (in Chinese)
[33] Adams R B, Ferreira D. Women in the boardroom and their impact on governance and performance. Journal of Financial Economics, 2009, 94(2): 291-309.
[34] Wang X Y, Xing Y. A two-dimensional analysis of the impact of TMT diversity on corporate innovation capability — empirical test based on GEM data. Management Review, 2020, 32(12): 101-111. (in Chinese)
[35] Li D S, Wang X Y. TMT heterogeneity, incentive mechanisms and corporate R&D investment behavior — empirical data from GEM listed companies. Economic Issues, 2019(02): 58-68. (in Chinese)
[36] West M A, Anderson N R. Innovation in top management teams. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1996, 81(6): 680-699.
[37] Elenkov D S, Judge W, Wright P. Strategic leadership and executive innovation influence: an international multi-cluster comparative study. Strategic Management Journal, 2005, 26(7): 665-682.
[38] Liu Y G, Liu W. Executive tenure and R&D expenditure in Chinese listed companies. Management World, 2007(1): 128-136. (in Chinese)
[39] Ma F P, Li T. Research on the relationship among TMT characteristics, TMT shareholding and technological innovation — empirical test based on resource-based listed companies. Scientific Management Research, 2011, 29(04): 117-120. (in Chinese)
[40] Nielsen B B, Nielsen S. Top management team nationality diversity and firm performance: A multilevel study. Strategic Management Journal, 2013, 34(3): 373-382.
[41] Zheng M B. Executives' overseas experience, professional background and corporate technological innovation. China Science and Technology Forum, 2019, 10: 137-144. (in Chinese)
[42] Xiao S F, Shi Q, Zhang Y M. Construction of innovation capability index for listed companies. Journal of Beijing Institute of Technology (Social Sciences Edition), 2020, 22(01): 57-69. (in Chinese)
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Highlights in Business, Economics and Management

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.







