Exploring CEOs’ Lived Experiences of Strategic Conflict and Governance in Multinational Corporations in Southeast Asia
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Abstract
Strategic leadership and corporate governance are increasingly critical in today’s complex business environment, yet the lived experiences of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in navigating strategic conflicts remain underexplored in Southeast Asia. This gap is significant because governance expectations intersect with cultural and ethical considerations, leaving unanswered questions about how CEOs make sense of high-stakes dilemmas. This study addresses that gap by contributing a phenomenological understanding of executive decision-making. Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve CEOs from multinational corporations in Southeast Asia. Findings reveal four major themes: CEOs confront strategic dilemmas under intense pressure, balance governance demands with personal values, cultivate emotional resilience, and adapt decision-making frameworks to sociocultural contexts. These insights demonstrate that strategic conflicts are not purely rational processes but are deeply shaped by subjective and contextual factors. The study contributes a holistic framework for interpreting executive decision-making, offering both theoretical advances in corporate governance research and practical implications for leadership development.
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