W. Glenn Rowe

• Rowe, W. G.; O'Brien, J.; Nason, K. A., 2021, "Running Aground: Reflections on Belief, Organizational Culture, Strategy, and Performance", Journal of Management Inquiry, July 30(3): 347 - 353.
  Abstract: A Canadian Navy destroyer ran aground 45 years ago. I’ve been thinking about it ever since, while in the Navy, and during my career as a management educator. I also have discussed it with my co-authors. Here is what we believe we can learn from that grounding.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10564926211009430

• Seifzadeh, P.; Rowe, W. G.; Moghaddam, K., 2021, "Governance of subsidiaries: The interactive effect of corporate diversification strategy and headquarters' capacity to process information on corporate control mechanisms", Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, June 38(2): 119 - 134.
  Abstract: We build on extant literature of corporate strategy and diversification to unpack corporate effects and to better understand the antecedents that influence control mechanisms implemented on subsidiaries by their corporate parents. Utilizing data collected over the course of several years from 2704 subsidiaries and their 193 Iranian corporate parents, we find that, while related diversified corporations are likely to put a stronger emphasis on strategic controls, their ability to do so depends on corporate span, the corporate CEO's background, and the size of the corporate headquarters.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/cjas.1593

• Farah, B.; Elias, R.; De Clercy, C.; Rowe, W. G., 2020, "Leadership Succession in Different Types of Organizations: What Business and Political Successions May Learn From Each Other", The Leadership Quarterly, February 31(1)
  Abstract: We systematically review the recent impactful leadership succession literature in three types of organizations/contexts, namely publicly-traded, privately-owned (mostly family businesses), and political organizations. We compare and contrast these literatures, and argue that business and political leadership succession researchers and practitioners can learn from each other. The purpose of the review is fourfold. First, to take stock of the existing leadership succession research in these three related literatures – that examine the same essential phenomenon – but that have evolved separately. Previous reviews have focused mostly on CEO succession (not the broader phenomenon of leadership succession) mainly in publicly-traded firms; and to our knowledge no (recent) comprehensive literature reviews on the important topics of privately-owned and political organization leadership succession exist yet. Second, to develop an overarching integrative conceptual framework (ICF) that structures the overall leadership succession literature and shows the potential areas of integration and difference among the three literatures. Third, to develop three organizational frameworks – one for each organization type – that review what we know and what we should know about leadership succession in each type. Fourth, to critically compare the ICF, the three organizational frameworks, and the three literatures to better understand the similarities and differences among these literatures. By doing so and using a multidisciplinary approach we aim to contribute to the field in the following ways. Firstly, we seek to synthesize the field of leadership succession to identify important research questions that are ripe for study in the near future in the business and political science disciplines. Secondly, we strive to uncover what succession researchers and practitioners across these disciplines may learn from each other.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2019.03.004

• Seifzadeh, P.; Rowe, W. G., 2019, "The role of corporate controls and business-level strategy in business unit performance", Journal of Strategy and Management, August 12(3): 364 - 381.
  Abstract: Purpose: Corporate controls are mechanisms that corporations use to ensure that the processes and/or outcomes of their business units meet corporate expectations. Challenges in measurement of corporate controls have led many researchers to operationalize them as part of the more ambiguous corporate effects construct, instead of addressing them separately. The purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of “fit” between corporate control mechanisms and business unit strategy in performance of business units. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use ordinary least squares regression analysis on data collected between 2010 and 2012 from surveys from managers of 142 Iranian corporations and 1,822 of their subsidiaries. The authors also use financial and market data collected by an IDRO division and accessed through partnership in a joint project. Findings: The authors found that while the fit between business unit strategy and corporate controls has a significant effect on business unit financial performance, it does not have a similar effect on market performance. The findings demonstrate that when business unit managers perceive that they are subject to a balance of strategic and financial controls with a slightly greater emphasis on strategic controls, then business units have higher financial and market performance, although the difference in financial performance is not significant. Research limitations/implications: The authors find that the misfit between corporate controls and business strategies in such cases could negatively affect the performance of the business unit. However, this research also contributes to a better understanding of the importance of strategic controls to the successful performance of business units. The findings show that while the fit between controls and strategy is most critical for achieving financial performance in business units that pursue product leadership, strategic controls play a more prominent role than financial controls in achieving higher financial or market share performance for all business units. Practical implications: The findings of the propositions in this research would discourage corporations with tight financial control from engaging in acquisition of businesses considered to be product leaders in their relative product markets. Originality/value: Past research focusing on the fit between corporate-level factors and business-level factors and their role on business performance are largely limited to conceptual work. The limited empirical studies completed in the past generally reduce control mechanisms to lack or absence of autonomy. This shortcoming has been mainly due to difficulties in measurement of control mechanisms. The empirical study overcomes these barriers and in doing so, reveals surprising findings related to the effectiveness of different control mechanisms.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSMA-10-2018-0114

• Tang, J.; Crossan, M. M.; Rowe, W. G., 2019, "Dominant Leaders: Heroes or Villains?", Organizational Dynamics, March 48(1): 1 - 7.
  Abstract: Power is an essential part of organizational life, especially in the upper echelons. In particular, strategic leadership researchers and practitioners have long been puzzled by the question of whether dominant leaders defined as leaders (e.g., CEO) with dominant power relative to their colleagues in the leadership team are good or bad. On one hand, it has often been considered that dominant leaders tend to restrict information flow and increase politics within the leadership team and thereby negatively affect strategic decision making and organizational performance. On the other hand, there has long been a heroic portrait of dominant leaders (especially in troubled situations), arguing that dominant leaders are more apt to make tough (i.e., fast, unilateral) decisions and thus positively affect organizational performance.

  Link(s) to publication:

  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2017.10.001

  https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1Ydax_23MHAU8A

• Sidani, Y. M.; Rowe, W. G., 2018, "A Reconceptualization of Authentic Leadership: Leader Legitimation via Follower-Centered Assessment of the Moral Dimension", The Leadership Quarterly, December 29(6): 623 - 636.
  Abstract: We explore some challenges that face authentic leadership scholarship including problems related to how the construct is understood and measured. We present a model of authentic leadership that looks at it, not as a leadership style, but as an outcome of a legitimation process. Authentic leadership represents legitimated follower perceptions of a leader's authenticity which are activated by moral judgments. We explain how a follower-centered assessment of the moral component helps explain leadership dynamics in situations involving ethical relativism, thus alleviating concerns regarding the presumed moral component of the construct. The overlap between leaders' and followers' value systems leads to impressions of authenticity, even in cases in which there are no clear universal moral standards. An authentic person's behavior cannot be labeled as “leadership” unless it is embraced by a follower who grants moral legitimacy to the leader. We then discuss the implications of our study for scholars and practitioners.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2018.04.005

• Kunsch, D.; Schnarr, K.; Rowe, W. G., 2016, "Effects of the environment on illegal cartel activity", Journal of Strategy and Management, October 9(3): 344 - 360.
  Abstract: Purpose Using resource dependency theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine what elements in the business environment may be associated with the formation and continuance of cartels. Designmethodologyapproach The authors employ a unique data set of 148 cartel data points from the 1970s to 2008 which have at least one American company involved to quantitatively test causal relationships. The authors also interview key class action anti-trust attorneys for their views and opinions on the impact of these environmental factors on cartel formation and continuance. Findings The authors find statistically significant relationships between the pursuit and maintenance of industry profits and the dynamism in the industry, and illegal behavior as represented through price fixing by business cartels. The authors find that in the attorneys’ opinion, it is also the pursuit of individual corporate profits and munificence that are associated with these cartels. Practical implications This research furthers the understanding of organizational deviance which is critical given its impact on organizations, individuals, regulators, law enforcement, and the general public. Originalityvalue This research is a first step in considering cartel activity in a way that encompasses external influences in a new and innovative manner and as a tool to help researchers and practitioners better understand how organizational deviance, as manifested through illegal corporate activity, can be anticipated, identified, and prevented.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JSMA-09-2015-0075

• Rowe, W. G., 2014, "Some antecedents and consequences of ethical leadership: An examination using the kings of Judah", Journal of Business Ethics, September 123(4): 557 - 572.
  Abstract: This study examines some antecedents and consequences of ethical leadership. Using a dataset from the King James Version of the Bible, I argue for and propose that maternal influence will lead to leaders being ethical while paternal influence appears to have no impact on leaders being ethical. I also argue and propose that ethical leaders are more likely to achieve longer tenures and to lead their organizations to better performance. I develop propositions based on the findings from the analysis of my qualitative and quantitative data.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-2010-x

• Kunsch, D.; Schnarr, K.; Rowe, W. G., 2014, "Do the ends justify the means? A cross-disciplinary approach to illegal organizational activity", Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences, August 26(2): 18 - 38.
  Abstract: This study examines possible internal antecedents of illegal organizational activity through the criminology lens of strain and the management lens of control to inform a theoretical framework that explores why organizations engage in unethical behaviour. We posit that illegal activity, undertaken as a result of an inability to achieve organizational goals through legal means (strain theory), is impacted by the control mechanisms that the owners of corporations and their agents impose on the CEO and managers of the organization. We contribute to the literature on institutional deviance by expanding upon strain theory within an organizational context and considering it in tandem with agency theory.
• Kunsch, D.; Schnarr, K.; Rowe, W. G., 2014, "The relational effect of the rule of law: A comparative study of Japanese and South Korean foreign direct investment", Asian Academy of Management Journal, June 19(1): 1 - 17.
  Abstract: Building on institutional theory, this paper examines the relationship between the relative rule of law of home and host countries, the home country’s institutional frame and foreign direct investment (FDI). We suggest that firms based in countries with a higher level of rule of law will invest more FDI per capita in host countries with comparable or higher levels of legal protections. Further, companies based in countries with a lower rule of law are accustomed to lower degrees of institutional safeguards. For these latter countries, the comparable levels of rule of law between home and host country will not as strongly impact FDI per capita. We test our logic through an examination of FDI from two home countries with different levels of rule of law: Japan (high) and South Korea (medium). Using FDI data from Japanese firms in 114 countries and South Korean firms in 118 countries, we find that while rule of law is a predictor of FDI per capita, the relative nature of the rule of law between home and host countries in higher rule of law home countries is also important. In addition, we discover that companies from Japan, a high rule of law country do seek out similar or higher rule of law environments for higher levels of FDI per capita investments while companies from a medium level rule of law country, South Korea, are less beholden to institutional standards. Our study contributes to the literature looking at the impact of country-level factors on foreign investment decisions, suggesting that it is the comparative rather than absolute values that are important to understand as well as the institutional environment in the home country.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://web.usm.my/aamj/19-1-2014.html

• Riaz, S.; Rowe, W. G.; Beamish, P. W., 2014, "Expatriate-Deployment Levels and Subsidiary Growth: A Temporal Analysis", Journal of World Business, January 49(1): 1 - 11.
  Abstract: We investigate the relationship between expatriate-deployment levels and the growth of international subsidiaries over time. Latent-curve analysis reveals that higher subsidiary growth over the long term is achieved through both (a) a higher proportion of expatriates at subsidiary founding and (b) a slower reduction in the proportion of expatriates over time. These results suggest that the decision to reduce the proportion of expatriates due to cost considerations should be tempered with the potential long-term benefits of expatriates for improving subsidiary growth. Theoretically, our results point to two factors that impact subsidiary changes over time: path dependence and dynamic adjustment costs.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2013.04.001

• Lim, D. S. K.; Celly, N.; Morse, E. A.; Rowe, W. G., 2013, "Rethinking the Effectiveness of Asset and Cost Retrenchment: The Contingency Effects of a Firm’s Rent Creation Mechanism", Strategic Management Journal, January 34(1): 42 - 61.
  Abstract: This paper posits that the efficacy of different retrenchment strategies depends upon the firm’s core rent creation mechanism. We focus on two distinct mechanisms of rent creation: Ricardian rent creation based on the exploitation of resources and Schumpeterian rent creation based on explorative capabilities. We argue that cost retrenchment may have detrimental effects on firms with a relatively high Schumpeterian rent focus. On the other hand, asset retrenchment may erode the basis for future rent creation for firms with a higher Ricardian rent focus. Our findings based on a sample of large non-diversified Japanese firms highlight the differing degrees of fragility and recoverability of the two rent creation mechanisms in the context of different retrenchment strategies.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smj.1996

• Tang, J.; Rowe, W. G., 2012, "The liability of closeness: Business relatedness and foreign subsidiary performance", Journal of World Business, April 47(2): 288 - 296.
  Abstract: It is widely accepted that business relatedness, defined as the extent to which a foreign subsidiary is related to its parent’s core business, has a positive effect on subsidiary performance. With a sample of 165 Japanese subsidiaries located in China, however, we found that modestly related subsidiaries, on average, outperformed both unrelated and closely related subsidiaries, and that closely related subsidiaries performed poorly especially when the parent had a heavy majority ownership in the subsidiary and the subsidiary was at its early stage of operating in the host market. Our results indicate that being too closely related to the parent could be potentially detrimental, suggesting a liability of closeness.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2011.04.016

• Rowe, W. G., 2012, "Dominant CEO, deviant strategy, and extreme performance: The moderating role of a powerful board", Strategic Direction, March 28(4): 245 - 247.
  Abstract: This study examines the effect of dominant CEOs – defined as CEOs who are very powerful relative to other executives in their top management teams – on firm strategy and performance. Based on a sample of 51 publicly traded, single-business firms from the US computer industry for the period 1997-2003, our results suggest that firms with dominant CEOs tend to have a strategy deviant from the industry central tendency and thus extreme performance – either big wins or big losses. Further, powerful boards weaken the tendency of dominant CEOs towards extremeness and, more important, improve the likelihood of dominant CEOs having big wins versus big losses. This study reconciles the pessimistic and heroic views regarding dominant CEOs, and suggests that the notion of power balance should be considered in a broader context.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/sd.2012.05628daa.005

• Rowe, W. G.; O'Brien, J.; Rouse, M. J.; Nixon, R. D., 2012, "Navy Stories: Behavior versus Professional Control", Journal of Management Inquiry, January 21(1): 61 - 77.
  Abstract: We propose contingencies of behavior and professional control. We use two auto-ethnographic accounts to lend support to our theoretically derived propositions that using behavior control, when professional control is expected and appropriate, decreases organizational effectiveness. We argue that the more discrepant the expectations the more negative will be the effect, especially if the discrepancy persists over time. We suggest that professional control should be employed when intense socialization is present and organization-specific skills have been developed. The auto-ethnographic accounts are based on lived experiences that occurred in the Canadian Navy while one of the authors was an officer in that navy. We argue that the lived experiences help to generalize back to theory - an important step in theory development.

  Link(s) to publication:

  http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1056492611400751

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