A STRUCTURAL-ANALYSIS OF DOMINANT COALITIONS IN SMALL BANKS

This study examined the orientations of 125 executive officers and boa rd members from seven financial institutions concerning the compositio n of their firm's sociometrically-defined dominant coalitions. Hypothe ses testing found that in seven small banks, dominant coalition member s could be distinguished from nonmembers by their orientation toward i nternal organizational factors. In contrast to prior research, the stu dy found no evidence of a significant relationship between board membe rs' tenure, relative to that of the CEO, and their membership in the o rganization's dominant coalition.