Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2010
Abstract
A leadership crisis in the nonprofit sector looms. "Crossovers" from the corporate sector present an alternative source of CEO talent but a dearth of empirical research about boundary crossing has limited our understanding about the effects of leader origin on organizational performance. We surveyed 631 leaders who had crossed one to three boundaries--sector, organization and/or position--into top U.S. nonprofit jobs. Analysis of 18 combinations of leader experience including sector path, recent origin and role shift revealed--regardless of boundary--striking similarities rather than stark differences in how nonprofit CEOs lead. The effects of leaders' sector experience and diversity of experience on behavioral repertoires and organizational culture were significant, suggesting variety of experience trumps single sector experience (whether for-profit or nonprofit) as the most salient criterion for nonprofit CEO selection. Implications for practice and recommendations for future research are noted.
Keywords
nonprofit organizations--research, nonprofit leaders, behavioral repertoire, organization culture, Competing Values Framework, prior socialization, boundary crossing
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
La Belle, Antoinette E., "Boundary Crossings: Professional and Situational Influences on Nonprofit Leaders and Their Organizations" (2010). Student Scholarship. 104.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/104