Board Ancestral Diversity and Firm Performance Volatility

We proxy for board members’ differences in opinions and values using directors’ ancestral origins and show that diversity has costs and benefits, which lead to high performance volatility. Consistent with the idea that diverse groups experiment more, firms with ancestrally diverse boards have more and more cited patents and their strategies conform less to those of the industry peers. However, firms with greater ancestral diversity also have more board meetings, higher director turnover unrelated to performance, and make less predictable decisions. These findings suggest that diversity may lead to inefficiencies in the decision-making process and conflicts in the boardroom.