Top management team role structure: A vantage point for advancing upper echelons research

Research summary The role structure of a top management team (TMT)—the roles of TMT members and the relationships among those roles—has important implications for how TMT members work together as a group in directing an organization and shaping its strategy. Although the importance of TMT role structure has long been noted, it has received scant attention until recently when upper‐echelons scholars started examining its formation and influence. To stimulate a concerted effort in studying TMT role structure, we develop a framework elaborating its main themes, draw out key contributions from extant research (see the SMS Collection), and outline promising future directions. In particular, we highlight important dynamics of how formal and informal structures complement or compete with each other in the strategic leadership of an organization. Managerial summary How to structure a TMT is critical for the strategic leadership of an organization. The roles of senior executives and the relationships among these roles shape how executives work together as a group in directing an organization and shaping its strategy. In this article, we develop a framework for understanding how a role structure develops in the senior management team and how it affects strategy and performance of the firm. We synthesize and present key contributions from recent research and discuss important areas that deserve future research. Our article highlights important dynamics of how formal and informal role structures complement or compete with each other in the strategic leadership of an organization.