Market knowledge as a function of CEOs’ personality: a fuzzy set approach

in Journal of Business Research (2016), 69

Market knowledge (MK) improves firm performance, yet knowledge of how MK develops remains sparse. In small and medium-sized enterprises, MK likely depends on the personal dispositions of CEOs. This study ... [more ▼]

Market knowledge (MK) improves firm performance, yet knowledge of how MK develops remains sparse. In small and medium-sized enterprises, MK likely depends on the personal dispositions of CEOs. This study draws on personality research to theorize that CEOs' personality traits influence the intensity of seeking (openness and conscientiousness), the opportunity to access (extraversion), or the accuracy of processing (agreeableness and emotional stability) market information. A fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis of 409 CEOs reveals two equifinal configurations of traits leading to high MK, both of which include traits favoring accuracy, suggesting their particular importance. The findings provide new understanding of the antecedents of MK and have conceptual implications for the study of CEOs' personality in general. [less ▲]

NPD Projects in Search of Top Management Support: The Role of Team Leaders' Social Capital

in M@n@gement (2012), 15(1), 43-75

A number of studies have found that the performance of NPD projects greatly depends on the support they get from top management. However, research into why some projects get more support than others has ... [more ▼]

A number of studies have found that the performance of NPD projects greatly depends on the support they get from top management. However, research into why some projects get more support than others has been limited. The present paper takes a political approach to NPD, in which top management support is considered to be a function of a project leader’s ability to influence decision processes through personal relationships. Mobilizing the bridging perspective of social capital, we argue that project leaders need both strong ties to high-ranking others and sparseness in their networks. Vertical strong ties bring direct support and solidarity, resulting in improved access to resources and priority over other projects; sparseness provides exposure to the full range of information and interpretations in the organization, resulting in a more accurate picture of the political landscape and thus enabling the implementation of an appropriate influence strategy. A PLS analysis of a sample of 73 French project leaders involved in NPD projects provided support for our hypotheses. Hence, we contribute to a very recent stream of research showing that the structural and relational dimensions of social capital are complementary. [less ▲]

SMEs’ access to information: The combined effect of CEOs’ social capital and personality traits

Scientific Conference (2011)

Team members’ network and the performance of new product development: the strength of strong ties

Scientific Conference (2009)