Top Management Teams and Total Shareholder Returns: the Association Between Top Management Team Education Heterogeneity and Total Shareholder Returns in the North American Insurance Industry

This study examined the relationship between the education heterogeneity of top management teams and organizational performance measured as long-term total shareholder returns. The subjects were 46 publicly traded North American insurance companies that had been traded for at least five years. I employed two metrics to measure education heterogeneity. One metric assessed the education heterogeneity of top management teams based on the highest education certification and the other metric assessed education heterogeneity of the teams based on all education certifications, and therefore the underlying disciplines, represented on the top management teams. The results suggest that all education certifications, not just the highest education certification, each top manager brings to the top team should be considered when assessing the education heterogeneity of a top management team. The results also suggest that before a top management team is assembled, the critical education requirements of the industry should be established and inclusion on the top team ought to be based on how each selected top manager's education certification(s) enables the team to deliver superior long-term performance.