Organizational capital and firm risk – Testing the outside option

Abstract

We examine organizational capital risk on a micro level by identifying 120,017 quasi-voluntary inventor moves between firms over three decades. Consistent with survey results from Eisfeldt and Papanikolaou (2013), we find that a 10% increase in organizational capital results in a 1.8% greater annual exit of firm inventors. Exit risk is higher 1) where employees are more transferable between firms and 2) among financially constrained firms that cannot compensate valuable employees competitively. Valuations are lower for firms with greater levels of inventor turnover / outflows.