고위 경영진의 해외경험과 기업의 녹색 혁신: 국유기업 속성과 ISO 인증의 공동 조절효과

The Impact of Executive Overseas Experience on Corporate Green Innovation: The Moderating Effects of State Ownership and ISO14001 Certification

Purpose - This study investigates whether overseas experience among top executives promotes corporate green innovation and how this relationship is moderated by institutional conditions such as state ownership and ISO14001 environmental management system certification. Design/Methodology/Approach - Drawing on Upper Echelons Theory and Institutional Complementarity Theory, the study employs a fixed-effects panel regression using data from 2,787 firm-year observations of Chinese listed non-financial companies between 2008 and 2021. The key independent variable is the proportion of top executives with overseas education or work experience. Moderating variables include state-owned enterprise (SOE) status and ISO14001 certification. Findings - Results show that a higher proportion of overseas-experienced executives was significantly associated with an increase in green innovation (measured by green patent applications). While the moderating effect of SOE status alone is statistically insignificant, the interaction between overseas experience, SOE status, and ISO certification significantly enhances green innovation. Research Implications - The findings highlight reveal executive international experience can serve as a driver of corporate sustainability strategies, particularly when aligned with institutional support mechanisms such as public ownership and internal environmental governance systems. This study offers theoretical and practical insights into how strategic cognition and institutional alignment jointly influence firm-level green transformation.