On The Plurality of Leadership Structure: Behind The Curtain of The Co-Ceo Twindom

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Keywords: co-CEOs, corporate governance, task challenge, performance challenge, phenomenon-driven research

Abstract: The conventional wisdom suggests that an organization should appoint one CEO who takes control and assumes the top management responsibility. Yet, the increasing incidence of a co-CEO structure in corporations around the globe casts doubt on the effectiveness of single leadership. In this paper, we examine the underexplored phenomenon of co-CEO structure in the corporate world. In particular, we develop a conceptual model drawing on the concept of executive job demands and an analysis of 74 co-CEO appointments in 55 companies from 12 countries. Our model aims to conceptualize the co-CEO phenomenon and assist organizations in choosing an appropriate governance structure based on their levels of task and performance challenges.