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A CEO not only sets the tone of an organization but also the 鈥減ace,鈥� a work style with far-reaching implications for corporate success. So demonstrates Paul College鈥檚 Jianhong Chen, assistant professor of strategic management, in her influential study of 鈥渦rgency and pacing鈥� or 鈥渢emporal personality鈥� among hundreds of corporate leaders.

鈥淵our urgency dictates how pressed you feel in your day to day work,鈥� Chen said. 鈥淵our pacing style dictates whether you insist on getting things done right away, prefer to procrastinate, or tend to do things methodically over time.鈥�

In one study, Chen鈥檚 research found that organizations led by CEOs with a pressing sense of urgency, tempered by a preference for working at a steady and methodical pace, enjoy greater success with innovation.

In another study, Chen looked at the relationship between CEOs鈥� perception of past, present and future, and companies鈥� rates of new product introduction. Based on a longitudinal study of 221 companies in 19 industries, Chen showed that in stable industries where technology developments and customer demands do not change very rapidly (e.g. food industry, construction equipment industry), firms with CEOs who focus more on the past and present introduce products faster; conversely, in dynamic industries (e.g., electronic equipment industry, computer industry), firms with CEOs who focus more on the future introduce products faster.

Chen was recipient in the summer of 2016 of the Sumantra Ghoshal award for the research paper that advances research while deriving important implications for practice. This was awarded by the strategic management division of the Academy of Management.

鈥淎ccelerated changes in competition, technological advances and customer preferences have forced firms to think harder about time management,鈥� said Chen. 鈥淎 leader鈥檚 temporal personality molds expectations and evaluation, and shapes decision making throughout the organization.鈥�

Chen鈥檚 research has far-reaching implications for corporate strategy as firms seek to appoint the right CEOs for their cultures.

鈥淥ur findings offer new evidence that the CEO plays an outsized role in a firm鈥檚 success,鈥� Chen said.

In addition, an effective CEO must be able to sync up his or her leadership team鈥檚 disparate temporal styles if the organization is to be successful.

鈥淒iversity of temporal style can be strength鈥攊t鈥檚 good to have some who think long term and others who think short term鈥攂ut only if the CEO can make them work together and balance out,鈥� Chen said. 鈥淥therwise, you鈥檙e going to have a hard time competing.鈥�