The Way to the Top: Career Patterns of Fortune 100 CEOS

Michael Koch, Bernard Forgues () and Vanessa Monties
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Michael Koch: University of Kent [Canterbury]
Bernard Forgues: EM - EMLyon Business School
Vanessa Monties: Groupe Sup de Co Montpellier (GSCM) - Montpellier Business School

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Abstract: How have the CEOs of Fortune 100 companies worked their way to the top position? Are there several paths to the top, or have most present‐day CEOs moved up the ranks in a similar fashion? We examine the employment trajectories of all of the current Fortune 100 CEOs across their entire working careers to answer these questions. The analysis developed in this article is carried out in two steps. We first use sequence analysis to find the patterns that are characteristic of the career paths of these CEOs. We then apply clustering techniques to identify distinct groups of career paths that have led individuals to the uppermost management level. Our results show that the careers of the Fortune 100 CEOs have largely followed traditional career paths that are symbolized by steady progression toward more responsibility, little mobility between firms and industries, and a strong focus on general management functions.

Keywords: CEO careers; Sequence analysis; career patterns; boundaryless careers; sequence analysis-2-! (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-03
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.umontpellier.fr/hal-02051118v1
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published in Human Resource Management Journal, 2017, 56 (2), pp.267-285. ⟨10.1002/hrm.21759⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02051118

DOI: 10.1002/hrm.21759

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