Karen A. Bantel

Top Management Team Demography and Corporate Strategic Change

This study examined the relationship between the demography of top management teams and corporate strategic change, measured as absolute change in diversification level, within a sample of Fortune ...

Top Team, Environment, and Performance Effects on Strategic Planning Formality

This study examined hypotheses linking three categories of variables, top management team demography, environmental uncertainty, and firm performance, to the extent to which retail banks engage in a formal strategic planning process. The specific variables studied included: mean tenure, mean age, mean education level, functional background heterogeneity, and education major heterogeneity under team demography; environmental complexity and instability under environmental uncertainty; and performance level and volatility under firm performance. Results show that low tenure mean, functional heterogeneity, environmental complexity, and performance volatlity all had positive effects on strategic planning formality.

Strategic Planning Openness The Role of Top Team Demography

The effect of top management team demography on the strategic planning dimension of planning openness was examined in a sample of retail banks. The following demographic characteristics were analyzed: mean tenure, age, and education level, and heterogeneity on educational major and functional background. After controlling for firm size and performance volatility, low tenure mean, low education mean, and functional heterogeneity were found to have an influence on planning openness.

Comprehensiveness of strategic planning : the importance of heterogeneity of a top team

A conceptual model linking the demographic heterogeneity of the top management team to comprehensiveness of strategic planning is developed. Planning comprehensiveness is one of the key dimensions underlying the dominant models of formulation of strategy, consistent with the tradition of “synoptic” strategic planning. Drawing on group process theory, heterogeneity among team members in outlooks and perspectives, represented by their demographic backgrounds, is expected to stimulate an open, broad, and challenge-oriented approach to the process of strategic planning, consistent with comprehensiveness. Heterogeneity on five characteristics—age, organizational tenure, team tenure, functional background, and educational curriculum—was included. Also discussed are the complexities of managing the group process of a heterogeneous team and additional influences, external to the team, on the comprehensiveness of strategic planning.

DETERMINANTS OF GROWTH IN ENTREPRENEURIAL, TECHNOLOGY-BASED SMALL FIRMS

ABSTRACT Several key influences on the growth of entrepreneurial, technology-based small firms are described. First, the level of technical change in the environment is an important factor both by itself and as a context within which the appropriateness of strategic approaches and strategic planning processes can be evaluated. Second, the importance of four aspects of strategy—product/service relatedness to founder(s) background, persistence of initial product/service focus, pioneering, and strategy type (focus, differentiated, undifferentiated)—are described. Finally, the role of three aspects of planning processes—openness, comprehensiveness and formality—are discussed.