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Abstract
Past work has evidenced a strong association between executive differentiation, organizational outcomes, and executive tenure. However, literature assessing the relationship between the executive-firm match and organizational and executive outcomes is limited. This dissertation adds to the literature through the examination of achieved matching characteristics to assess whether differentiation in the relationship between the executive and the firm is associated with organizational performance and executive tenure. I examine achieved match characteristics between the executive and firm with respect to geography, education, and religion.
This dissertation quantifies the nature of the executive and firm match and assesses its relationship to team performance and executive tenure using data from intercollegiate athletics. I use a unique data set containing information on NCAA Division I Men's Basketball head coaches (executive) and their hiring institution (firm) over a twenty-year period to investigate executive and organizational match characteristics centered around geography, education, and religion. I estimate multiple measures to assess each match category, as past work has yet to come to a consensus on how to measure these matches. I assume the outcome variables are a function of firm characteristics, executive characteristics, and executive and firm match characteristics. The dependent variables are absolute organizational performance, relative organizational performance, and executive tenure.
Results indicate some support that differentiation in the match between head coaches and organizations is a relevant predictor of performance and executive tenure. While not all independent match variables were related to the outcome variables of interest at a statistically significant level, matches at Low-Major and Mid-Major institutions across all match categories were often significantly associated with absolute team performance. Additionally, results indicate that head coaches with greater geographic connectedness to their employers had longer employment tenures. This suggests a preference for continued employment by both parties when there is a geographic executive-firm match.
Overall, I evidence the importance of the relationship between secondary and tertiary life experiences and future outcomes, as in specific match scenarios, teams perform better, and head coaches have longer tenures when there is a stronger executive-firm match. This provides support for past literature that has argued the importance of executive background characteristics on organizational and executive outcomes.
This dissertation quantifies the nature of the executive and firm match and assesses its relationship to team performance and executive tenure using data from intercollegiate athletics. I use a unique data set containing information on NCAA Division I Men's Basketball head coaches (executive) and their hiring institution (firm) over a twenty-year period to investigate executive and organizational match characteristics centered around geography, education, and religion. I estimate multiple measures to assess each match category, as past work has yet to come to a consensus on how to measure these matches. I assume the outcome variables are a function of firm characteristics, executive characteristics, and executive and firm match characteristics. The dependent variables are absolute organizational performance, relative organizational performance, and executive tenure.
Results indicate some support that differentiation in the match between head coaches and organizations is a relevant predictor of performance and executive tenure. While not all independent match variables were related to the outcome variables of interest at a statistically significant level, matches at Low-Major and Mid-Major institutions across all match categories were often significantly associated with absolute team performance. Additionally, results indicate that head coaches with greater geographic connectedness to their employers had longer employment tenures. This suggests a preference for continued employment by both parties when there is a geographic executive-firm match.
Overall, I evidence the importance of the relationship between secondary and tertiary life experiences and future outcomes, as in specific match scenarios, teams perform better, and head coaches have longer tenures when there is a stronger executive-firm match. This provides support for past literature that has argued the importance of executive background characteristics on organizational and executive outcomes.