Open AccessEnvironmental Change and Management Staffing: An Empirical Examination of The Electric Utilities Industry
Author(s) -
Ram Subramanian,
Carol M. Sánchez
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
journal of business strategies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2162-6901
pISSN - 0887-2058
DOI - 10.54155/jbs.15.1.17-34
Subject(s) - staffing , context (archaeology) , competition (biology) , business , electric utility , industrial organization , decentralization , electricity , electric power industry , operations management , economics , accounting , market economy , engineering , management , paleontology , ecology , electrical engineering , biology
This paper examines the relationship between environmental change, changes in competitive dynamics, and top management staffing in the electric utilities industry during the period surrounding the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct 92). The findings suggest that following the passage of the EPAct 92, competition in the electric utilities industry intensified, placing greater emphasis on achieving internal, firm-level efficiencies. This external environmental change and the corresponding shift in the competitive context resulted in an adjustment in the composition of the top management coalition in these firms. The dominant coalition following the EPAct 92 consisted of older managers with longer company and industry tenure who had efficiency-oriented backgrounds in operations, engineering, and accounting/finance.