Title: Internationalisation of upper echelons in different institutional contexts: top managers in Germany and the UK

Authors: Stefan Schmid; Dennis J. Wurster; Tobias Dauth

Addresses: Department of International Management and Strategic Management, ESCP Europe, Berlin Campus, Heubnerweg 8-10, 14059 Berlin, Germany ' Department of International Management and Strategic Management, ESCP Europe, Berlin Campus, Heubnerweg 8-10, 14059 Berlin, Germany ' Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Junior Professorship in International Management, HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management/Fraunhofer Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Jahnallee 59, 04109 Leipzig, Germany

Abstract: In international business research, a growing number of studies are investigating the internationalisation of top managers and its consequences for firm-level outcomes. However, relatively little attention has been devoted so far to the antecedents of top manager internationalisation and to top manager internationalisation in different institutional contexts. The present study compares the internationalisation of top managers in Germany and the UK and argues that national institutional contexts influence the international profile of top managers' human capital. Based on a sample of 931 individuals, we demonstrate that top managers' nationality, international work experience and international board appointments vary significantly between Germany and the UK. Our paper has implications for international business research and upper echelons research because it contributes to a better understanding of the antecedents of top manager internationalisation in different institutional contexts.

Keywords: international top managers; top management internationalisation; international education; international work experience; international board assignments; human capital; upper echelons theory; institutional theory; Germany; UK; United Kingdom.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2015.070232

European Journal of International Management, 2015 Vol.9 No.4, pp.510 - 535

Received: 30 Mar 2013
Accepted: 17 Jan 2014
Published online: 30 Jun 2015 *

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