Strategic Leadership ─ Theory and Research on Executives, Top Management Teams, and Boards

This book integrates and assesses the vast and rapidly growing literature on strategic leadership, which is the study of top executives and their effects on organizations. The basic premise is that in order to understand why organizations do the things they do, or perform the way they do, we need to deeply comprehend the people at the top-- their experiences, abilities, values, social connections, aspirations, and other human features. The actions--or inactions--of a relatively small number of key people at the apex of an organization can dramatically affect organizational outcomes.

The scope of strategic leadership includes individual executives, especially chief executive officers (CEOs), groups of executives (top management teams, or TMTs); and governing bodies (particularly boards of directors). Accordingly, the book addresses an array of topics regarding CEOs (e.g., values, personality, motives, demography, succession, and compensation); TMTs (including composition, processes, and dynamics); and boards of directors (why boards look and behave the way they do, and the consequences of board profiles and behaviors).

Strategic Leadership synthesizes what is known about strategic leadership and indicates new research directions. The book is meant primarily for scholars who strive to assess and understand the phenomena of strategic leadership. It offers a considerable foundation on which professionals involved in executive search, compensation, appraisal and staffing, as well as board members who evaluate executive performance and potential, might build their tools and perspectives.

Sydney Finkelstein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School at Dartmouth College, where he teaches courses on Leadership, Top Management Teams, and Managing Mergers and Acquisitions. He is also Faculty Director of the flagship Tuck Executive Program, as well as a consultant for companies around the world. Professor Finkelstein has conducted extensive research on strategic leadership, published numerous articles in the major journals in his field, and has written ten books.

Donald C. Hambrick is the Smeal Chaired Professor of Management, Smeal College of Business Administration, at The Pennsylvania State University. He holds a PhD degree from The Pennsylvania State University. His research focuses primarily on the study of top executives and their effects on strategy and performance. An active consultant and executive education instructor, he also served as president of the Academy of Management.

Albert A. Cannella Jr. is Koerner Chair in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Tulane University. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1991. He serves on the editorial review boards of Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Strategic Management Journal. His research interests focus on executives, entrepreneurship, and competitive dynamics.