Du, X.; Liu, J.; Chen, Y. and Wang, Z. (2026) Millennial executives: Effects of the age-inverse relationship in ceo-top management team on corporate misconduct in China's construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 33(3), pp. 2448-2470. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose – This study examines whether and how the age-inverse relationship between the chief executive officer (CEO) and the top management team (TMT) affects corporate misconduct in China's construction industry. Drawing on social identity theory, we propose that the age-inverse relationship in CEO–TMT may diminish their social identity and further decrease the likelihood of corporate misconduct in construction firms. Design/methodology/approach – Using a longitudinal dataset of firms in China's construction industry covering the years 2003 through 2021, this study adopted a logit regression model with fixed effects. Findings – The results show that the age-inverse relationship in CEO–TMT is negatively related to corporate misconduct. Further investigations suggest that performance feedback moderates the relationship between the age-inverse relationship in CEO–TMT and corporate misconduct. Firms with an age-inverse relationship between CEOs and TMTs are more likely to engage in fraudulent behavior when performance is above aspirations and less likely to commit fraud when performance is below aspirations. Research limitations/implications – The sample of this study is limited to China's construction firms. Drawing on social identity theory, this study explores the relationship between the age-inverse relationship and corporate misconduct in China's construction industry, which enriches the antecedents of corporate misconduct and contributes to CEO–TMT interface research within construction firms. Practical implications – This study provides a guideline for construction firms on how to regulate and reduce misconduct. It will offer insights into human resource arrangements within the management of construction firms in an aging context. Originality/value – Considering that few studies explore fraudulent behavior of construction companies at the upper echelon level, this study focuses on a novel and new antecedent (i.e. age-inverse relationship in CEO–TMT) and its boundary conditions. The findings extend the research on corporate misconduct and strategic leadership in the construction industry.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | age-inverse relationship; ceo–tmt interface; corporate misconduct; social identity theory |
| Index terms: | construction industry, executive, investigation, social identity theory, boundary condition, regression model, social identity, China, dataset, chief executive officer, methodology, top management team, human resource, construction company, construction firm, drawing, fraud |
| Subjects: | organization, practitioner, professional ethics, structural engineering, research methods, Geography, technical documentation, data collection methods, data management, sociology, industry analysis, statistical analysis, management, social psychology |
| Topics: | Legal Issues, Geographical Context, Engineering Principles, Organizational Design, Human Resources, Design Practice, Digital Applications, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here