Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2010
Abstract
Venture backed firms with both exceptionally high and relatively low growth experience a comparatively fast turnover of executives, often resulting in multiple cohorts within the top management team (TMT). These tenure cohorts often act like warring tribes, generating value destroying affective conflict. While several studies have validated the relationship between tenure diversity and affective conflict, none explain its source. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews with 34 executives from six U.S. venture backed private companies. Our results move beyond those of previous studies on tenure based affective team conflict by revealing its source to be strongly embedded "new" and "old" social identities within venture backed TMTs. Absent purposeful efforts by top management to forge a shared identity that subordinates the existing "old" and "new" identities, negative effects of affective conflict will likely trump the benefits of cognitive conflict.
Keywords
management, social capital (sociology), affective conflict, TMT conflict, social identity, social capital, closure
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
Abbott, Mary, "Temporal Tribes: The Origin and Resolution of Tenure Based Affective Conflict in Venture Backed Top Management Teams" (2010). Student Scholarship. 426.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/426