Abstract: We use proprietary global search firm data capturing compensation levels to investigate the impact of experience diversity on compensation for functional executives. While popular belief suggests a growing expectation for functional executives to demonstrate the ability to take integrated perspectives of business issues, our initial findings suggest that career histories demonstrating broad exposure to different settings are associated with negative impact on pay. Preliminary results suggest that functional managers are paid for depth, not diversity. We test the impact of diverse careers with respect to industry, organization, and functional role. These preliminary findings inform research questions on management teams and the evolving role of functional executives. We provide an initial look at what human capital profiles command pay premiums.

Abstract: This proposal provides a conceptual model and research plan that focus on the antecedents of the appointment of the chief human resources officer (CHRO) to the top management team (TMT). We argue that global operations are positively linked to the presence of the CHRO on the TMT and positively moderated by innovation intensity and TMT diversity. We also expect that there is a positive link between the presence of a CHRO on the TMT and a firm’s performance. Drawing upon contingency theory and the TMT research, we plan to examine these propositions using a sample of S&P 500 firms. This study will be one of the first to shed light on the role of the CHRO and presence in the TMT.

Abstract: This paper investigates the relationship between female representation on top management, middle management and overall workforce levels and its influence on firm performance. Building on extant research on gender diversity, we build and test theory on how the relative importance of women at the top management team level affects the proportion of women on lower levels of management and subsequently in the overall workforce. We then examine the relationship between female representation on each level and firm performance. The results extend our understanding of spillover effects in gender diversity and the impact of female representation on firm performance.

Abstract: Based on the observation that today’s executives increasingly possess significant international experience, this study uses a unique data set to look beyond the local manager/expatriate dichotomy and explore multinational companies’ (MNCs) use of multicultural executives in foreign subsidiaries. I draw on executive cognition theory and the growing literature on multicultural individuals to hypothesize that personal history and international diversity in previous educational and professional experiences facilitate executives’ ability to balance among strategic contradictions – in particular the contradiction between the need for intraorganizational coordination and local market adaptation, which is faced by MNCs worldwide. The intended contribution of this study is to explore how MNCs use the portfolio of experiences embedded in individual executives to address organizational complexity.