Whether a CEO adopts expected or more unconventional strategies is possibly quite important during this period of intense change and disruption.  Indeed, there is often a premium on those executives who are able to go against the grain and exhibit innovative approaches.

New research from Rice University suggests that we might be able to tell whether an executive is likely to exhibit such behaviors by something as straightforward as their name.  The researchers collected data from 1,172 public firms over a 19 year period and found that when the CEO had an uncommon name, their firms’ strategies were more distinctive.

It’s fairly well established that the outcomes for an organization are strongly influenced by the personality, values, and experience of the leader, but I suspect most would say it’s absurd to suggest the name of the CEO has any impact.

“Studies suggest that individuals with uncommon names tend to have a self-conception of being different from their peers,” the researchers explain. “Although many people may not have the confidence to exhibit how unique they believe themselves to be, CEOs do — they are generally confident individuals.”

Unlikely influence

The researchers suggest that when a CEO has an unusual name, they are more motivated to differentiate themselves from their peers, which in turn influences the kind of strategies they deploy, and particularly how they differ from their industry peers.

“This is consistent with findings from psychological research that successful professionals who have uncommon names tend to view themselves as more special, unique, interesting and creative,” the researchers continue.

They believe that their findings might help stakeholders understand and even predict the likely strategy deployed by a CEO.  They even go as far as to suggest that boards might want to take this into account when hiring a CEO, at least if uniqueness is something they strive for.

“Other top executives, middle-level managers and employees can also expect a higher likelihood of implementing distinctive strategies when their CEOs have more uncommon names,” the researchers conclude. “Competitors can expect a firm to engage in unusual competitive moves when the CEO has an uncommon name.”