Michael L. McDonald, Ph.D.

Professor, Marketing

Michael McDonald

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Bio

Dr. Michael McDonald is a professor in the Department of Management at The University of Texas at San Antonio. He joined UTSA in 2010. He earned his Ph.D. in management from the University of Texas at Austin. He holds a B.A. in economics from Emory University.

Dr. McDonald teaches courses in strategic management and organization theory. He primarily studies executive leaders. His research has focused on how executives help one another to succeed, with a special emphasis on how CEOs' effectiveness can be influenced by the various kinds of help (e.g., advice on strategic issues) that they receive from CEOs at other firms. He has also published studies on board of director effectiveness and racial and gender diversity in corporate leadership.

Dr. McDonald's research has appeared in the Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and the Strategic Management Journal. He is a member of the editorial review board of the Academy of Management Journal.

Research Interests

  • Executive leadership
  • CEO effectiveness
  • CEOs' informal helping networks and CEO effectiveness
  • Board of director effectiveness
  • Gender and racial diversity in corporate leadership

Degrees

  • Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin
  • B.A. Emory University

Publications

  • “Helping Other CEOs Avoid Bad Press: Social Exchange and Impression Management Support Among CEOs in Communication with Journalists,” with J.D. Westphal, S.H. Park and M.L.A. Hayward, Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 57, 2012, pp. 217-268.
  • “My Brother's Keeper? CEO Identification with the Corporate Elite, Social Support Among CEOs, and Leader Effectiveness,” with J.D. Westphal, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 54, 2011, pp. 661-693.
  • “Me or We? The Effects of CEO Organizational Identification on Agency Costs,” with S. Boivie, D.A. Lange and J.D. Westphal, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 54, 2011, pp. 551-576.
  • “A Little Help Here? Board Control, CEO Social Identification with the Corporate Elite, and CEO Tendencies to Provide Strategic Help to CEOs at Other Firms, with J.D. Westphal, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 53, 2010, pp. 343-370.
  • “What Do They Know? The Effects of Outside Director Acquisition Experience on Firm Acquisition Performance,” with J.D. Westphal and M.E. Graebner, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 29, 2008, pp. 1155-1177.
  • “Getting Them to Think Outside the Circle: Corporate Governance, CEOs' External Advice Networks, and Firm Performance,” with P. Khanna and J.D. Westphal, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 51, 2008, pp. 453-475.
  • “Getting By with the Advice of Their Friends: CEOs' Advice Networks and Firms' Strategic Responses to Poor Performance,” with J.D. Westphal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 48, 2003, pp. 1-32.