Internationalisation of the executive suite and firm performance: UK evidence

Modern corporations are increasingly confronted with the complexities of international environment. Under such conditions real value systems, cognitive schema and personality features or knowledge on such possessed by foreign and domestic, however, internationally experienced top executives may facilitate the performance of the top management team duties. On the basis of this argued alignment, we ask a question whether such an organisational response to the firm’s international exposure in terms of internationalising the top management team can be at the root of an enhanced corporate performance. We utilise the upper echelons theoretical framework and the resource- based view of the firm. Around 750 executives’ profiles of one hundred largest UK corporations were studied. In this sample we trace the moderating effects of the firm’s internationalisation strategy on the relationship between the TMT nationality and international experience diversity index and the corporate performance.