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WHARTON CENTER FOR
LEADERSHIP AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Current and
Past Research Projects
Alliance Formation Through Inter-Firm Networks: Lori
Rosenkopf (2004-) investigated the relative role that top executives and mid-level
managers played in the formation of alliances among firms in the cellular
industry.
Board Rank: Martin J.
Conyon and Mark Muldoon studied (2004-) the centrality and structural influence of
corporate boards of directors in the U.S. and U.K. by drawing upon an algorithm
developed by a web search engine. The centrality of a board within the
network of company directors facilitates the diffusion of information, rumors,
and innovation among companies -- and may be correlated with superior governance
and leadership.
Board Structure Across Countries: Mauro F. Guillén
and doctoral student William Schneper investigated the determinants of national
variations in governing board size, fraction of board seats held by outsiders,
and separation of the roles of chief executive and board chair. Among the
determinants examined were national differences in the primary functions of the
board and the relative power of investors, executives, labor, and the public.
Cascading Leadership:
Katherine Klein and Ph.D. student Alex Leeds (2007-) examined how
leadership-by-example functions in medical teams and teams in the services
industries. They asked whether effective leader behavior remains effective
when emulated wholesale by followers. In particular, they studied how
leaders’ approaches, including expressions of enthusiasm and rational
problem solving tactics, functioned once they had been widely adopted by
other members of their teams.
Change Leadership:
John Paul MacDuffie, Daniel Raff, Jitendra Singh, and several MBA
students conducted case studies of three organizations that are undergoing
exemplary change and restructuring initiatives.
Chinese Governance: Michael Useem and Neng
Liang (2007-) of the China Europe International Business School initiated a
project on the transformation of governing boards of Chinese companies as they
enter the global economy.
Continuous
Organizational Change:
Karen Jehn and Ph.D. student Alex Michel examined the process of
organizational change in an international software firm, focusing on employee
cognitions and their impact on a firm’s ability to engage in continuous
change.
Corporate Governance and Cross-Border Acquisitions:
Mauro F. Guillén and doctoral student (2005-) William D. Schneper examined the
predictors of company acquisitions across national borders from 1990 to 2003,
including governance practices, cultural differences, investor protections, and
international relations. They theorized, for example, that countries with
stronger shareholder rights might seek to acquire firms from countries with
weaker shareholder protection in an effort to improve the corporate governance
and, thus, the financial and operational performance of the target
organization. Their study carries implications for company leaders when
evaluating the costs and benefits of cross-border acquisitions and related
transactions.
Emerging Multinationals from Emerging Markets:
Jitendra Singh and Northeastern University faculty member Ravi Ramamurti
organized a conference in mid-2007 on newly internationalizing firms. The
central questions included: 1) In which industries have local firms
emerged as multinational competitors, and why? Conversely, in which
industries have firms tried to internationalize but failed? 2) How did the
successful firms overcome the handicaps of being late internationalizers? 3)
What types of competitive advantages do these firms enjoy, and why, i.e. how are
those advantages shaped by the national and international context (economic,
political, institutional, and social)? 4) How sustainable are their competitive
advantages? Are the firms likely to be acquired by firms from developed
countries or are they likely to remain independent players, and why? 5)
Through what strategies have they built their international presence? Which
countries have they targeted (rich, poor, or both), how rapidly have they
internationalized, and what modes of entry have they used, and why? 6). How is
rise of these multinationals changing competitive dynamics in their respective
industries? How are firms from developed countries responding to the
opportunities and challenges?
Employees on Boards:
Chip Hunter and doctoral student David Hess examined the
conditions under which union- and employee-nominated directors are effective in
representing the interests of their constituencies, or, conversely, the
interests of investors – or both.
Executive Careers:
Stephanie Wilk worked with several undergraduates and a doctoral student to investigate changes in the
career opportunities facing executives and their mobility among jobs and
companies in the U.S. and Europe.
Executive
Succession: Constance Helfat
and several students identified whether external CEO successors are more
successful than internal successors, and which of their background experiences
make for the difference.
Framing the Future: Sarah
Kaplan studied (2005-) with MIT's Wanda Orlikowski how managers at a
communications technology company interpreted changing technologies and market
conditions, and how that affected their strategic response to technical change
in the industry. They focused on a period of rapid change when the
managers were faced with confusing data, competing technologies, unclear market
needs, competitive threats and doubts about technological viability.
Global Leadership:
Robert House investigated which leadership capabilities are
universally emphasized across industries and cultures, and which are relatively
unique to specific sectors and countries.
Governance of Public Pension Funds:
Michael Useem and Ph.D. student David Hess studied the governance of
public pension funds and the impact of governance on their financial
performance.
Guiding Teams: Chris Maxwell (2006-) interviewed ten world-class mountain guides to
determine how they lead teams of less experienced climbers in challenging
environments, and outlined the implications for business team leaders.
Hostile
Takeovers:
Mauro F. Guillén and Ph.D.
student William Schneper examined
the effects of regulative,
normative, and cognitive institutions on the frequency of hostile takeovers in
59 countries over an eleven year time period.
Indian Corporate Leadership, Governance,
and Human Resource Management: Peter Cappelli, Harbir Singh, Jitendra
Singh, and Michael Useem (2007-), with additional support from India's
National Human Resource Development Network, Wharton's
Mack Center for Technological Innovation, Wharton's Center for Human Resources,
and Wharton Executive Education, initiated a long-term research project on
leadership, governance, and human resource management among large
publicly-traded Indian companies.
Intellectual Leadership in the
Sciences and Social Sciences: Lori
Rosenkopf and doctoral student Phin Upham
investigated (2006-) intellectual leadership in
science and social science. They focused on a
powerful form of intellectual leadership that resides
in paradigms – or frameworks for looking at the world – that
under-grid scientific and technical knowledge
communities.
International
Strategies of e-Commerce v. Bricks & Mortar companies:
Jeffrey H. Dyer examined the international strategies – including the
international experience of the head of international operations – of
e-commerce firms and their "clicks and mortar" competitors to identify
the factors, including leadership, most predictive of international success.
Lateral Leadership
in Outsourcing Organizations: Joseph
Harder and Michael Useem analyzed the changes in leadership styles in the
wake of company decisions to outsource significant components of their
operations.
Leader Emotion and Follower Motivation: Nancy
Rothbard and Sigal Barsade examined (2004-) the question of whether positive or negative
emotions of a leader are more effective in motivating team performance. What
happens when a leader displays irritation and anger, or, conversely, offers
praise and encouragement? Prior research shows that when individuals experience
positive emotions in the workplace, they become more creative, cooperative, and
engaged. Yet other research shows that performance can sometimes also be
improved when they experience controlled anger from above. Both emotional
styles may work for leaders, and to understand why and how, the researchers
studied a set of teams whose leaders employed both styles.
Leadership and Boards Across Countries:
Mauro F. Guillén and Ph.D. student William Schneper examined the impact of equity
shareholder concentration, the level of labor force unionization, whether
various stakeholder groups have gained major political party representation,
commercial banking concentration, and the extent to which a national culture
upholds individualistic versus communitarian values on 1) corporate leadership,
specifically executive turnover rates and their functional and educational
backgrounds, and 2) board structure, specifically stakeholder representation on
boards of directors and average board tenure.
Leadership Research: Katherine Klein, Michael
Useem, and doctoral students Andy Cohen and Alex Leeds are organizing a
conference for mid-2008 to take stock of what we know about leadership from
academic research and where that research should be going. The conference
conceives of leadership research to include work in the areas of firm strategy,
top management teams, corporate governance, company culture, and leader
behaviors, characteristics, and relationships with followers. Though much of
the work in these areas does not explicitly conceptualize these issues as
questions of leadership, they have much to say about company leadership in that
they all reference those whose views and decisions are decisive in shaping
company direction, company strategy, and employee behavior. The conference will
assemble a diverse set of 15 to 25 researchers for an intense stock taking,
conceptual integrating, and agenda setting for this broad terrain of academic
research on leadership.
Leading Team
Conflict: Karen Jehn and Anne
Cummings evaluated the role of team leadership in the constructive use of
conflict for creativity and change.
Leading
Team Development and Performance:
Katherine Klein and PhD
student Andrew Knight studied (2006-) the role of formal leaders in guiding
team learning and team performance in short-term project teams. They used
longitudinal data from team leaders and team members preparing to compete in
a West Point military competition to understand how leaders shape team
developmental trajectories and how team developmental trajectories relate to
team performance.
Leading Up:
Michael Useem prepared a book on how managers can effectively lead
their boss, board, and investors when leadership is not coming from above.
Leadership
Challenges in Higher Education: John
Kimberly and doctoral student Elizabeth Craig evaluated the challenges that
top college and university administrators are facing and the implications for
the skills they will need for leadership and change.
Leadership 101: Documentary producer David
Stone developed a possible five-part television series on the leadership lessons
for business from the Wharton Leadership Ventures, including a program with the
U.S. Marine Corps, trek to Mt. Everest, and walk of the Civil War battlefield at
Gettysburg.
National Governance Systems,
Stakeholder Power, and Post-Acquisition Dynamics:
Laurence Capron (INSEAD) and
Mauro Guillen sought to assess
(2006-) the extent to which post-acquisition dynamics
are driven by the power of organizational stakeholders. They examined whether
downsizing of the target company, resource transfers from the acquirer, and
enhanced performance of the target are more likely to occur when the new owners
can exert more power than the old owners, and when the target’s employees are
less powerful. They also examined whether experienced acquirers are able to
overcome the likely resistance of powerful employees more easily. Using survey
responses from 190 North American and European acquirers of as many as 253
targets located in 27 different countries, they obtained preliminary findings
indicating stakeholder rights and experience do exert an effect on some
post-acquisition dynamics and outcomes. They highlight the crucial role that
power plays in the pursuit of value creation in the wake of corporate
acquisitions, noting that both owners and employees have at their disposal tools
to advance their interests.
New
Institutions, Old Networks, and Increasing Turbulence: The Evolution of
Corporate Governance in
South America in the Age of Globalization: Gerald
A. McDermott analyzed (2006-) the evolution of corporate boards in
South America, especially Argentina, in face of wholesale reforms of market
liberalization and volatile growth from 1995 to 2005. The principle
empirical questions guiding this research were twofold: 1) How do the forces
of regulatory institutions, industry isomorphism, and social networks
interact to re shape corporate boards? 2) What types of strategies do
managers and investors use to maintain corporate control if the face of
economic volatility and wholesale market liberalization? The research draws
on a unique data set constructed of board membership and inter-locking
ownership of the largest 130 firms in Argentina, and the data will be
compared with similar data from Chile and Brazil.
Organizational Behavioral Conference:
Jennifer Mueller and Nancy Rothbard organized (2006-07) the annual
organizational behavior mini-conference,
a forum for junior faculty to present thought-provoking new research on
organizational behavior and change. A diverse group of scholars from top
research institutions presented their work on topics such as identity,
emotions, diversity, knowledge transfer, creativity, and team performance.
Organizational Leaders Become Inter-Organizational
Leaders: Mauro F. Guillén and Ph.D. student William Schneper studied
predictors of when and with whom general managers in Major League Baseball trade
players with other teams. They anticipated that the general managers’ career,
contacts, and image affected their trading: those with good communication
networks and reputations for trustworthiness were more likely to become
preferred trading partners.
Personal Networks and Managerial
Success: Emilio Castilla identified (2005-) the personal experiences, career
paths, and network contacts within a multinational company that produce higher
job satisfaction, stronger commitment to the firm, greater work performance,
faster advancement in the enterprise, and better leadership capacities. He
focused on the impact of managers' experiences and networks both within and
outside the company, and compared their impact across three national settings
where the firm operated.
Physical Health and Total Leadership: Stewart
Friedman worked with Debbie Hufnagel to create teaching materials for fostering
better health through physical activity and proper nutrition as part of one's
"total leadership."
Research on Organizational Behavior: Nancy
Rothbard organized the annual Wharton "OB Mini-Conference" for young
scholars to present their research on organizational change and a range of
related issues.
Risk vs. Incentives:
Julie Wulf
evaluated (2005-) the trade-offs between
risk and incentives
-- since risk-averse managers
require additional compensation to offset risk, it is more costly for firms
operating in riskier environments to offer incentive pay to managers
-- among division managers. The study also examined the impact of measures of
authority and monitoring costs, including physical
proximity of divisions to headquarters and product proximity of divisions to
the firm’s core business.
Is Silence
Golden? The Attributions of Silence and its Influence on Negotiations:
A part of the role of a leader involves negotiations with both internal
and external stake-holders. Sigal Barsade focused (2006-) on a rarely
studied part of this leadership role, the use and effectiveness of silence
in the negotiation process. Silence has many functions, from a way to
communicate affective and cognitive information to a mechanism for shaping
interpersonal connections. In the context of negotiations, while
negotiators resonate to the idea of using silence to great effect, there is
almost no systematic empirical research that has been conducted about the
attributions that are made about silence and the emotional, attitudinal, and
behavioral outcomes of silence. For example, do people tend to perceive
silence as a signal of disagreement or a time-out for thinking about
different solutions -- or both and more? Is silence beneficial or
detrimental for the silent party? What are the boundary conditions, for
example, differential power between the two negotiating parties, which
determine the different meanings of silence? The research project aimed to
both understand the varying attributions that can be made about silence; to
develop scales measuring these attributions; and to examine the behavioral,
attitudinal, and emotional outcomes of silence. She did so through a set of
critical incident retrospective studies of workplace negotiations, as well
as laboratory studies in which participants negotiate with each other in a
way that the use of silence is intentionally created, observed and its
effects on negotiation outcomes analyzed.
Strategy and Leadership in China:
Marshall Meyer examined Procter and Gamble’s entry into China, with
a focus on how its leadership established connections, built a distribution
system, and transferred practices from elsewhere in Asia.
Strategy-Making in a Crisis: Sarah Kaplan and
MIT Sloan School's Rebecca
Henderson and Wanda Orlikowski examined (2006-)
strategy-making in real time through the analysis of the
private monthly letters a CEO wrote to his company’s board of directors
during a major industry crisis. These letters contain both the CEO’s
evolving assessment of the market as well as contemporary plans for
responding to the situation. The analysis included in-depth
discourse-based interviews with the CEO. These data provided a
perspective on how a manager made sense of a changing environment and made
choices about what strategic direction to take. This research
contributed to the literature on understanding firm response to change and
more specifically to an understanding of how managers' specific choices and
actions shape these responses.
Strategy Renewal:
Gabriel Szulanski and a group of MBA students developed a depth
study of one company’s leadership, staffing, and timing in the renewal of its
strategic planning and strategy making.
Task Engagement, Positive and Negative
Feedback, and Self Affirmations:
Nancy Rothbard studied (2006-) leadership feedback. An important part
of a leader’s job is to give feedback – to immediate subordinates, and in
some ways to the organization as a whole. Receiving positive or negative
performance feedback from a supervisor, or cautionary advice or praise from
co-workers is commonplace in organizations. Such feedback is considered to
be an important motivational tool or pitfall that leaders face as they try
to navigate the difficulties involved in effectively motivating employees to
engage in their work. Feedback is a challenging management tool because it
often invokes a person’s sense of self. Indeed, among other things, positive
and negative feedback can serve to either affirm one’s self concept or
threaten it. Yet, there is a dearth of research looking at how satisfying
people’s need to affirm the self influences their subsequent performance and
level of engagement in future tasks. Would negative feedback lead
individuals to disengage from a subsequent task or would it lead them to
compensate by becoming more engaged in that subsequent task? Likewise, would
positive feedback be a springboard to increased engagement, leading people
to be better performers on subsequent tasks, or would providing such
positive self-affirmation serve as a soother, leading to contentedness and a
lack of engagement and productivity in future tasks? This study sought to
understanding the role of feedback as a springboard for increased engagement
or a sop for further engagement as such it has important leadership
implications. Because people have a hard time hearing negative feedback,
leaders may be inclined to soften the message by providing affirmations to
the employee regarding other unrelated aspects of their self concept.
Ironically, such affirmations may undermine the motivational aspect of the
negative feedback message. Similarly, giving unreservedly positive feedback
may cause people to become less motivated and bask in their past good
performance.
Total Leadership Experience:
Stewart Friedman examined (2005-) the impact of the immersion of managers
and students in a "total leadership" program on their leadership
identities, performance in a range
of domains,
and leadership capacities, including authenticity,
integrity, and creativity.
The Upside of Anger and Compassion: Jennifer
Mueller and doctoral student Shimul Melwani examined (2006-) how people reacted
when viewing interviews of others. Past research has found that when those
viewed express anger and pride, the viewers see them as having higher status.
Conversely, when those viewed express guilt and sadness, the viewers see them as
having lower standing. This study examined whether the attribution of higher or
lower status stems from the viewers’ inference of competence
– or
other factors –
from the emotions expressed by those interviewed. It also studied how
much additional salary a viewer will give or deny a person expressing these
various emotions.
When Disclosing Information Aids Your
Network: Jennifer Mueller
studied (2006-)
how adverse information affects network relations. Research suggests
that disclosing negative information (e.g., admitting mistakes or asking for
help) can have positive benefits for individual performance. However, a
compelling amount of evidence underscores a pervasive perception held by
employees in the workplace that the costs of disclosing negative information
outweigh the benefits. This study explored when disclosing negative
information might aid or hinder others' perceptions of competence and
likeability of a particular individual and the resulting network
associations that ensue. It is anticipated that disclosure of negative
information by individuals contributes to positive trait perceptions and
higher number of ties when individual’s level of status is relatively
similar or high. When an individual's status is relatively low, disclosing
negative information is expected to decreases perceptions of competence and
overall liking, resulting in fewer network ties.
Women Stepping-Out and Then Back into
the Workforce: Monica McGrath,
Marla Driscoll
(independent consultant), and Mary Gross (Director,
Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, Head of
Learning & Development) studied (2005-) the challenges faced
by professional women who “stepped out” of their careers for a period of time
and then returned to the workforce, or
attempted to do so. They also
examined actions that companies, academic institutions, and individuals
take to facilitate such
re-integration into the workforce.
The Leadership Center also
provided support for the Wharton Micro-Meso
Seminar, the Wharton Organization Behavior Lab, and the annual
Wharton Organizational Behavior Conference, 2005-08.
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