Randomized trial shows CEO academic experience enhances organizational resilience in firms, suggesting key leadership attributes matter during crises.
Since the ability to bounce back in times of crisis is important for organizational survival and growth, scholars pay particular attention to what factors drive organizational resilience. However, the micro antecedents of organizational resilience are relatively understudied. By incorporating the upper echelons theory into the resilience literature, this study systematically explores the relationship between CEO academic experience and organizational resilience under COVID-19. Using data collected from Chinese firms, we find that firms with academic CEOs have lower losses in stock price (greater stability) and more rapidly recover from the COVID-19 pandemic (greater flexibility). Digitalization is a key mediator in this relationship. Moreover, the indirect effect of CEO academic experience is strengthened by state ownership and industry competition. Overall, our study shows that hiring academic CEOs is critical for firms to stay stable and flexible during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Jiaojiao Qin (2026) studied this question.
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