Journal of Marketing

To a lay observer, it may seem logical, even obvious,that the people who lead firms have an important rolein driving innovation within them. Chief executive officers (CEOs), such as Steve Jobs at Apple and Andy Grove at Intel, are celebrated for their apparent success at promoting innovation in their firms. Innovation is central to the survival and success of firms, and the primary charge of CEOs is the survival and success of their firms. Thus, it may seem reasonable to conclude that CEOs play a leading role in promoting innovation in their firms. However, the literature is surprisingly mixed on this point. Some authors argue that CEOs are frequently so steeped in the past or in their day-to-day activities that they fail to recognize that the technological environment has turned o