Defence mechanisms as predictors of trust and positive relationships in top management teams

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Aldona Glińska-Neweś ◽  
Adela Barabasz ◽  
Iwona Escher ◽  
Yusheng Fu
Keyword(s):  
Top Management Teams ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Management Teams ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Individual Response ◽  
Positive Relationships ◽  
Defence Mechanisms ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Upper Echelon Theory ◽  
Top Managers

BACKGROUND: Top managers are heavily exposed to strong negative emotions due to the difficult decisive situations that they experience and the persistent pressure of time and uncertainty. At the same time, the relationships they build within TMTs shape their decisions, experiences and reactions at work. The paper refers to defence mechanisms as relatively persistent means of individual response to unwanted emotions and affects. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the paper is to examine the defence mechanisms of TMT members as antecedents of perceived trustworthiness of other team members and positive relationships in the team. METHODS: The empirical study was conducted in a sample of 123 members of top management teams representing furniture industry companies in Poland. RESULTS: The results show that defence mechanisms determine TMT members’ perception of trustworthiness of other team-members and that perceived trustworthiness mediates the relation between the defence mechanisms of TMT members and their evaluation of relationships within a team. CONCLUSIONS: The study explains links between individual characteristics of TMT members and processes within the teams. It contributes to upper echelon theory and literature on trust and positive relationships at work. It also contributes to the line of research introducing unconscious processes and emotions to management studies.

Assessing the State of Top Management Teams Research

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Stewart ◽  
Allen C. Amason
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Top Management Teams ◽  
Management Teams ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Management Research ◽  
Upper Echelon ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Key Questions

Since the earliest days of strategic management research, scholars have sought to measure and model the effects of top managers on organizational performance. A watershed moment in this effort came with the 1984 introduction of Hambrick and Mason’s upper echelon view and their contention that firms are a reflection of their top management teams (TMT). An explosion of research followed and hundreds, if not thousands, of manuscripts have since been published on the subject. While a number of excellent reviews of this extensive literature exist, a relative few have asked questions about the overall state and future of the field. We undertook this assessment in an effort to answer some key questions. Are we still making progress on the big questions that gave rise to the upper echelon view, or have we reached a point of diminishing returns with this stream of research? If we are at an inflection point, what are the issues that should drive future inquiry about top management teams?

scholarly journals Upper Echelon Theory: Role of Community and Strategy

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 35-44
Author(s):  
Majdi Anwar Quttainah
Keyword(s):  
Top Management Teams ◽  
Management Teams ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Upper Echelon ◽  
Top Executives ◽  
Upper Echelon Theory ◽  
Better Than

In this paper, we argue that community plays an important role in shaping the values and characteristics of top management teams. It builds on upper echelon theory to posit that community level characteristics are instrumental in framing the cognitions of CEOs and top executives. Strategic decisions made by managers in organizations represent the significant impact community has on top management teams. Examining the influence community has on top management teams provides additional implications about why certain firms perform better than others.

scholarly journals Can Top Management Teams' Academic Experience Promote Green Innovation Output: Evidence from Chinese Enterprises

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 11453
Author(s):  
Shukuan Zhao ◽  
Bochen Zhang ◽  
Dong Shao ◽  
Shuang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Top Management Teams ◽  
Management Teams ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Academic Experience ◽  
Political Connection ◽  
Green Innovation ◽  
Top Executives ◽  
Upper Echelon Theory ◽  
Innovation Output

Under the background of increasingly severe environmental problems, green innovation has become a key way to realize coordinated development of economy and environment. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the antecedent factors of green innovation. Based on the upper-echelon theory, this study explores the influence of the academic background of top management teams (TMT) on firm's green innovation outcomes and firm performance in Chinese listed companies. This study also discusses three boundary conditions for TMT's academic experience to promote firm's green innovation. The results show that TMT's academic experience promotes green innovation output. Moreover, TMT's academic experience do not have a uniform effect: strict environmental regulation strengthens the relationship between TMT's academic experience and green innovation output, while political connection and innovation input negatively moderate this relationship. Furthermore, green innovation output does not result in better economic benefits for enterprises with top executives who have academic experience, and this condition is observed more in state-owned enterprises. This study reveals the motivation of green innovation and provides a useful reference for enterprises to implement green innovation strategy more effectively.

Can corporate philanthropy be driven from the bottom to the top? Evidence from China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 841-861
Author(s):  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Shenjiang Mo ◽  
Honghui Chen ◽  
Jintao Wu
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Philanthropy ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Top Management Teams ◽  
Top Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Top Managers ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This paper aims to demonstrate that corporate philanthropy can be driven from the bottom to the top. In particular, the authors investigate whether employees’ donations influence corporate philanthropy and under what conditions this effect occurs. Design/methodology/approach The sample consists of Chinese listed firms that disclosed the amount employees donated in response to the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. The Heckman two-stage selection model is applied to examine the effect of employees’ donations on corporate philanthropy and the conditions under which this effect occurs. Findings The results show that employees’ donations are positively associated with corporate philanthropy. Furthermore, a higher percentage of females in top management teams can significantly strengthen the effect of employees’ donations on corporate philanthropy. When the average age of the top management team members is high, the influence of employees’ donations on corporate philanthropy is stronger. Practical implications This is an empirical study that helps to predict corporate philanthropy. Another practical implication is that employees should be recognized as an important element of corporate social responsibility. Social implications The results encourage employees to become drivers of corporate social responsibility. Originality/value This study contributes to the corporate social responsibility literature by demonstrating that corporate philanthropy can be driven from the bottom to the top. Moreover, this study integrates signaling theory into the study of corporate social responsibility. Finally, this study identifies two important contingent factors that strengthen the effect of employees on top managers’ decisions about corporate social responsibility.

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