Réseaux de conseils d'administration et adoption de pratiques de gouvernance d'entreprise

Abstract

Recent research into the role of boards of directors has adopted a cognitive point of view rather than a traditional governance perspective rooted in agency theory (Charreaux and Wirtz, 2006). The present study examines the structural embeddedness of boards and the influence of networks of boards of directors on the adoption of corporate governance practices. More specifically, it focuses on two aspects of social capital, namely the cohesion between actors within dense and closed networks (Coleman, 1988), and openness within networks containing numerous structural holes (Burt, 1992). The main results of this study emphasize the crucial role of board's network openness in the adoption of corporate governance practices and the importance of the diversity of cognitive resources acquired by boards of directors within their social networks. © 2010 Lavoisier.