Despite its high relevance, top management has received little attention in HR research. Recent studies have shown that mimicry of corporate structures due to uncertainty—the so-called mimetic isomorphism—influences the composition of top management. This development raises the question of the extent to which mimicry and uncertainty influence the structural decision to promote HR executives to top management.

Prof. Dr. David Bendig, Dr. Kathrin Haubner, and Jonathan Hoke from the Institute for Entrepreneurship at the University of Münster, together with Prof. Dr. Sabrina Jeworrek from the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research Halle (IWH) and the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, examine the increasingly important role of the Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) in the C-suite. The study, “The chief human resource officer in the C-suite: peer prevalence and environmental uncertainty,” was published in the International Journal of Human Resource Management—one of the world’s leading journals in the field of human resource management. The authors examine why some boards place a high priority on human resources while others do not. The thesis is that the appointment of CHROs is often a response to uncertainty, with companies mimicking the governance structures of their industry peers. This suggests that top management structure is not only a strategic choice but also a product of mimetic isomorphism. The study adds to the nascent but growing body of research on the positioning of HR in the boardroom and the interface between HR and strategy.

Relevant links:

The full text of the study can be viewed here .

Institute for Entrepreneurship