Theoretical Model & Hypotheses

Abstract

In the preceding chapters, the conspicuous absence of socioeconomic background in management studies has been discussed. Moreover, effects and antecedents of three management-relevant variables which seem to be associated with socioeconomic background have already been presented. This chapter, first, introduces a novel model of the relevance of socioeconomic background for management research. Making an analogy on Gupta’s (1988) assertion that the question is not whether managers matter but how they matter, the model discusses not only whether but also how the socioeconomic background of managers matters. Second, the proposed model allows us to speculate about processes linking the socioeconomic background of organizational leaders to their risk propensity, sense of control, and justice perceptions. The chapter hence has two aims: to introduce the research model and to present the hypotheses.