Organizational Identity Orientation and CEO Dismissal After Corporate Misconduct
研究分析了S&P 500公司股东信函，发现企业身份导向（个人主义或集体主义）影响董事会在公司不当行为后是否解雇CEO，个人主义导向更可能解雇，集体主义导向则相反。
Corporate misconduct can have devastating consequences for organizational stakeholders. Yet firms diverge sharply in how their boards respond to such infringements, especially when deciding whether to dismiss the CEO. We theorize that boards interpret misconduct through the lens of organizational identity orientation—that is, the nature of assumed relationships between an organization and its stakeholders. Using a machine learning analysis of shareholder letters from S&P 500 firms (2004–2017), we show that organizational identity orientation shapes dismissal decisions. Firms with individualistic orientations, which emphasize personal achievement, are more likely to dismiss CEOs as misconduct is seen as an individual failing. In contrast, firms with collectivistic orientations, which emphasize interdependence, are less likely to dismiss CEOs as misconduct is interpreted as diffuse and systemic. These findings reveal how organizational identity orientation shapes boards’ interpretations of responsibility, offering new insights into why firms experience different accountability outcomes in response to wrongdoing.