JOURNAL OF LEADERSHIP, ACCOUNTABILITY AND ETHICS
CEO duality: Balance of Power and the Decision to Name a Newly
Appointed CEO as Chair
Author(s): Stephen V. Horner, Alix Valenti
Citation: Stephen V. Horner, Alix Valenti, (2012) "CEO duality: Balance of Power and the Decision to Name a Newly
Appointed CEO as Chair," Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, Vol. 9, Iss. 3, pp. 53 - 74
Article Type: Research paper
Publisher: North American Business Press
Abstract:
We examine CEO succession and CEO duality within the context of the balance of power among three
central parties in the process: board of directors, incumbent CEO, and incoming CEO. Drawing on
upper echelons thinking (Hambrick & Mason, 1984) we analyze the impact of board, incumbent CEO,
and incoming CEO power on the appointment of the CEO to the position of board chair. Findings
demonstrate that CEO duality is more likely to occur under conditions of outside CEO succession when
the successor has prior chair experience and that tenure of the CEO predecessor reduces the likelihood
of CEO duality.