Top and middle management characteristics and internationalization speed
Leadership & Organization Development Journal
ISSN: 0143-7739
Article publication date: 28 February 2023
Issue publication date: 17 April 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to bridge the gap between firms' internationalization speed research and the emerging study of the interface of a top management team (TMT) and a middle management team (MMT). Accordingly, this study examines the effect of TMT output function and the moderating effect of similarity between TMT and MMT in functional background and international experience on internationalization speed.
Design/methodology/approach
A two-way fixed-effects approach is used to analyze a dataset of 1,040 observations.
Findings
The results suggest that an output-oriented TMT tends to promote rapid internationalization and that MMT members who are similar with TMT members in functional backgrounds and international experience may be more inclined to support and facilitate internationalization speed advocated by TMT.
Originality/value
This study highlights the importance of demographic similarity between TMT and MMT in speeding up a firm's international expansion, thus advancing the notion that demographic similarity may align the perspectives and perceptions among multi-echelons, leading to consensus on strategy development.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank anonymous reviewers of Leadership and Organization Development Journal for their helpful comments during the review process. The authors also acknowledge the financial assistance for this project from Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST 107-2410-H-992-039).
Citation
Hsu, W.-T. and Chen, H.-L. (2023), "Top and middle management characteristics and internationalization speed", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 44 No. 2, pp. 205-217. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-04-2022-0176
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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