Disciplines:
BusinessMatthew Semadeni is Professor of Strategy and Dean’s Council Distinguished Scholar in the Department of Management in the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Prior to coming to ASU, he was on the faculty of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. Professor Semadeni's research on competitive strategy, corporate strategy, knowledge, and top management teams has been published in the Academy of Management Journal, the Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, the Journal of Business Venturing, and the Journal of Management, and has been cited in media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Washington Post. Professor Semadeni is a member of the Strategic Management Society and the Academy of Management. He is currently Associate Editor at the Academy of Management Journal and has served on the editorial boards of the Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Strategic Organization, the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, and the Journal of Management. Professor Semadeni has taught strategic management and entrepreneurship. Prior to his doctoral studies, he was a consultant for Price Waterhouse LLC and for Electronic Data Systems, with both private and public sector clients.
By Matthew Semadeni, Arizona State University
Corporate leadership teams are often composed of people with the same political ideology. A 2015 survey of 1,000 board members at U.S. companies found that they disproportionately leaned Republican. In some market sectors, like industrials and utilities, as few as 15% of board members identified as Democrats, compared to 49% of the U.S. population. In sectors like consumer goods, on the other hand, leadership teams lean liberal.
Neither situation is healthy for business. Why? Executive teams that consist only of conservative or liberal members are susceptible to the same type of “groupthink” that can result with all-male or all-white leadership teams.
Read the full article at Quartz.
This article was produced by Footnote in partnership with WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.
Get in touch about this workBy Ravi Iyer of the University of Southern California
Studies have shown that the political leanings of corporate leaders influence how companies do business.
By Hyo Kang of University of Southern California
Studies have shown that the political leanings of corporate leaders influence how companies do business.
By Lu Zhang of Michigan State University
Studies have shown that the political leanings of corporate leaders influence how companies do business.
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