CEO-TMT Congruence in Growth-Need Strength and Firm Growth

The literature on the CEO-TMT interface has called for research on the implications of CEO-TMT congruence or fit. We examine the effect of CEO-TMT degree of congruence, forms of congruence, and forms of incongruence in growth-need strength on firm growth based on decades of research on leader-team congruence. Using five-wave survey data from the CEOs and other TMT members of 128 new firms, we find CEO-TMT incongruence in growth-need strength is negatively related to firm growth by reducing CEO openness to the TMT. Our study charts a new avenue for upper echelons research, particularly on the CEO-TMT interface, by providing a nuanced theoretical framework and evidence on CEO-TMT congruence.