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Better safe than sorry: CEO regulatory focus and workplace safety

Journal

Journal of Management

Subject

Strategy and Entrepreneurship

Publishing details

Journal of Management 2024 Vol 50:4 p 1453-1487

Authors / Editors

Qian C;Balaji P;Crilly D;Liu Y

Biographies

Donal Crilly

Publication Year

2024

Abstract

Research shows that CEOs who are sensitive to maximizing gains (promotion focus) engage in more socially oriented initiatives whilst CEOs who are sensitive to avoiding losses or harm (prevention focus) attend more to shareholder concerns. Our point of departure, however, is that many social initiatives are of the “do no harm” type that involve efforts to avoid burdening stakeholders with social and economic costs. Integrating research on strategic leadership and regulatory focus, we develop a framework for understanding the relevance of CEO regulatory focus for workplace safety. We argue that firms with prevention-focused CEOs have fewer employee injuries than firms with promotion-focused CEOs as these latter CEOs impose aggressive workloads on employees. Drawing on regulatory fit theory, we further identify two contextual factors that attenuate or accentuate CEO motivation to pursue harm-reducing or growth-maximizing goals. Whereas analyst downgrades mitigate the influence of prevention focus by motivating CEOs to avoid missing their obligations to shareholders, environmental munificence strengthens the influence of promotion focus on injuries by motivating CEOs to take advantage of growth opportunities in the environment. Based on a sample of S&P500 firms and injury data from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from 2002-2011, we find support for our predictions. The results illustrate the unforeseen consequences of CEO regulatory focus on employee interests.

Keywords

CEO regulatory focus; Workplace safety; “Do no harm”; Stakeholder management; Strategic leadership

Available on ECCH

No


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