Abstract

This study examines whether and how the famine experiences of board chairs influence the innovation of their firms. Results using a sample comprising 8882 firm-year observations from Chinese firms during the period 2003 to 2017 reveal that the board chair's famine experience has a negative effect on innovation. This negative effect is strengthened by famine intensity and high uncertainty. The obtained results are robust to alternative measures, endogeneity issues, omitted variables, and sample selection bias. Additional analyses showed that the relationship between board chair's famine experience and innovation is mediated by cash holdings and R&D investment. The overall results contribute to imprinting theory by explaining that early-life famine experiences of board chairs create survival threat imprints among them, eventually affecting their later-life behaviors. The findings also provide implications by highlighting how the early-life traumatic experiences of executives adversely influence their firms outcomes.