The family’s effect on knowledge sharing in family firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel C. Botero ◽  
Ascensión Barroso Martínez ◽  
Galván Sanguino ◽  
Juliana Binhote
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Family System ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Family Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Family Leadership ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study was to understand how the family system plays a role in knowledge sharing (KS) within family firms. The authors argue that the family’s influence can occur through two routes. An external route in which the family affects the culture of the organization and through an internal route in which family leadership within the firm affects the practices and behaviors within the business. Design/methodology/approach Data for this project came from the survey responses of 93 Spanish family firms. Findings The findings expand previous understanding about KS in family firms by outlining the two routes through which the family can have positive effect on KS within family firms. Results show that family system characteristics (i.e. next-generation commitment, family trust and intergenerational relationships) affect KS through their impact on the participative culture of a family firm. Additionally, when a family has been in control of the business for more generations, they place higher importance on family legacy and continuity, which is likely to strengthen the relationship between participative culture and KS in family firms. Originality/value Given the important role that the family system plays within the family business, this paper explored how family characteristics can influence KS in family firms. The authors contribute to the literature by highlighting the importance that the owning family can have in creating an environment that can facilitate KS in family firms.

scholarly journals Entrepreneurial orientation, competitive advantage and strategic knowledge management capability in Malaysian family firms

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Md Imtiaz Mostafiz ◽  
Mathew Hughes ◽  
Murali Sambasivan
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Family Firm ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Strategic Knowledge Management

Purpose The purpose of this study is to test the thesis that the family firm’s success hinges on effective strategic knowledge management (SKM) capability coupled with an entrepreneurial orientation (EO). Contingency theory holds that entrepreneurial success is contingent on strategic capabilities and resource orchestration theory explains how well family firms nurture capabilities to structure, bundle and leverage resources that define competitive advantage (CA). This study combines these two theoretical viewpoints to propose the effects of EO and SKM capability on CA to achieve successful performance in family firms. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a hybrid approach applying structural equation modelling (SEM) and deep-learning artificial intelligence (DL-AI) analysis to survey data on 268 Malaysian family firms. Findings SEM results confirm that CA mediates the relationship between innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking dimensions of EO and firm performance. Autonomy and competitive aggressiveness have no bearing, however. The relationships among innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking with CA and performance are positively moderated by SKM capability, becoming more potent at higher levels. Moreover, four additional DL-AI models reveal the necessity of specific EO dimensions and the interacting effects of EO–SKM capability to influence CA and to attain performance success subsequently. Originality/value This study theorizes and presents two new boundary conditions to a knowledge-based theory of the family firm and its firm performance. First, CA mediates the relationship between EO and performance; and second, SKM capability moderates the relationships between EO and CA and between EO and family firm performance. Methodologically, this study uses DL-AI to embrace non-linearity and prioritize predictor variables based on normalized importance to produce greater accuracy over regression analysis. Hence, DL-AI adds methodological novelty to the knowledge management and family firm literature.

scholarly journals Employer branding and psychological contract in family and non-family firmsEmployer branding e contrato psicológico em empresas familiares e não familiaresEmployer branding y contrato psicológico en empresas familiares y no familiares

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Duarte Pimentel ◽  
Pedro Almeida ◽  
Pedro Marques-Quinteiro ◽  
Marta Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Psychological Contract ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Employer Branding ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess differences between employees of family and non-family firms regarding their perceptions of employer branding and psychological contract levels. Moreover, focusing on family firms, the authors assess the relation between the employees’ perceptions of employer branding and the psychological contract levels. Design/methodology/approach The empirical evidence is provided by a sample of 165 Portuguese employees, 76 employees of family firms and 89 non-family firms’ employees, who responded to a questionnaire that included employer branding and psychological contract measures. All respondents study in small and medium-sized private companies. Findings The results confirmed the research hypotheses, suggesting that employees of family companies show higher perceptions of employer branding and psychological contract levels than employees of non-family companies. Results also reveal that the perceptions of employer branding are positively related to the psychological contract levels of the family firm’s employees. Originality/value This paper aims to contribute to the literature by addressing two contemporary organizational aspects yet under-addressed in the comparison between family and non-family firms while pursuing to offer insights on the relationship between the perceptions of employer branding and levels of the psychological contract of employees working in family firms.

Corporate social performance in family firms: a meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Canavati
Keyword(s):  
Family Firms ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Empirical studies provide conflicting conclusions regarding the corporate social performance (CSP) of family firms. The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the existing empirical evidence and examine the potential role of research design and contextual factors. Design/methodology/approach A meta-analysis of existing empirical studies was performed to examine the role of sampling, measurement and contextual factors in explaining the different and often conflicting results of empirical studies in the family business literature. Findings The overall relationship between family firms and CSP is positive. The relationship between family firms and CSP is positive for private family firms but is negative for public family firms. The relationship between family firms and CSP is positive when family involvement includes both family ownership and management as opposed to only family ownership or family management. Private family firms care more and public family firms care less about the community, environment, and employees than private and public nonfamily firms. The relationship between family firms and CSP is stronger in institutional environments with weak labor and corporate governance regulatory frameworks. Research limitations/implications The operationalization of both the family firm and CSP constructs significantly predicts the magnitude and direction of the relationship between family firms and CSP. Practical implications Family firms should become more skilled at measuring and disseminating information about the firm’s CSP. Family firms should work to improve public perceptions about the CSP of family firms. Social implications Policy should encourage family firms to remain privately owned by the family. Policy should also incentivize the involvement of family owners in the management of family firms. Originality/value Although several literature reviews address the relationship between family firms and CSP, this is the first review to use the meta-analysis method. The authors contribute to the family business literature by analyzing how differences in study-, firm- and country-level factors can explain some of the variance in the results of the studies in the literature.

scholarly journals Relations between Grandparents and Grandchildren in the Context of the Family System

2012 ◽  
Vol 37 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Arránz Becker ◽  
Anja Steinbach
Keyword(s):  
Family System ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
First Child ◽  
Social Structural ◽  
The Family ◽  
Partnership Status ◽  
The Relationship

The demographic change which has taken place in recent decades, and in particular the considerable increase in life expectancy, has resulted in intergenerational relationships that are lasting much longer. Despite the increase in people’s median age at first child birth, members of different generations now have the opportunity to live together for periods that are unparalleled in human history. Especially the medical and technical progress has led to grandparents being increasingly capable in both health and cognitive terms at an advanced age that they provide active support for their children and grandchildren in many ways. This article addresses the question to what extent the relationship potentials - also against the background of modernisation processes within society (e.g. increasing demands as to mobility, problems in reconciling family and work) - are transformed into actual support by grandparents for the grandchildren’s generation. The analyses are based on data from the parents of the primary respondents (“anchor persons”) in the German Family Panel (Beziehungs- und Familienpanel - pairfam, 2nd wave 2009/2010, parents’ questionnaire) with a grandchild aged between 8 and 15. The significance of various factors influencing the strength of relationships between grandparents and their grandchildren is empirically examined. Firstly, social-structural characteristics and family-related attitudes on the part of the members of the various generations are considered, and secondly, various family members’ personal and social resources. All in all, it is revealed that grandparent-grandchild relationships are largely independent from personal resources such as employment status, but that they are associated with social resources, that is the relationships between grandparents and parents, as well as with grandparents’ partnership status. Moreover, there are pronounced regional differences (i.e., stronger grandparent-grandchild relations in Eastern Germany) and a positive impact of familialism.

Does a second-generation returnee make the family firm more entrepreneurial?

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Fu ◽  
Steven Si
Keyword(s):  
Family Firms ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
Corporate Entrepreneurship ◽  
Family Ownership ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Impact On Family ◽  
Industry And Commerce ◽  
Short Time ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to focus on a special group of people in family firms in China, the second generation who are returnees, and to study their impact on family ownership and corporate entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach Survey data from China’s private enterprises in 2015 were used to test the hypotheses. Data were collected through a joint effort by the China Federation of Industry and Commerce and the School of Management of Zhejiang University. The authors used a stratified sampling method, and questionnaires were distributed to 12 provinces in East, Central and West China. Two sets of questionnaires were distributed and answered. Findings Compared with those family firms without second-generation returnees, the relationship between family ownership and corporate entrepreneurship is significantly enhanced in family firms that have second-generation returnees. Furthermore, compared with the second-generation returnees who stay overseas for a short time, returnees who stay overseas longer are more likely to promote corporate entrepreneurship. Originality/value This study explores the unique characteristics of second-generation returnees and explores these returnees’ impact on family ownership and corporate entrepreneurship in the Chinese context. This could generate a new value to the family entrepreneurship literature.

Intergenerational relationships and food consumption: the stories of young adults leaving home

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malene Gram ◽  
Margaret Hogg ◽  
Bodil Stilling Blichfeldt ◽  
Pauline MacLaran
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Intergenerational Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to address the meaning of food consumption practices in maintaining intergenerational relationships between young university students and their parents. Design/methodology/approach – Student food consumption has been mainly studied through quantitative methods, treating students as a homogenous group, more or less living in a vacuum, and often with the focus on nutrition. This paper gives voice to young adults to unpack the significance of cooking and food consumption in relation to maintaining or changing family ties. The study is based on 12 qualitative interviews, five focus groups and a workshop, with Danish and international students in Denmark. Theoretically, the study draws on family, consumption and transition research. Findings – The authors identify four realms of intergenerational relationships in the context of food. The relationships range from a wish either to maintain the status quo in the relationship, or to change and rethink the relationship, and importantly, the act of maintaining or changing the family relationships may be initiated either by the grown-up child or by the parent. The study concludes that the act of moving away from home is a period of intense (re)construction of food consumption habits and skills, which draw several threads back to the family home, and relationships undergo change in various ways. Research limitations/implications – The limitations of this study are that it has been carried out only in a Danish context. Originality/value – The contributions of the study are capturing the children’s view of this transition, and providing insights into how apparently mundane consumption can be full of symbolic meaning. The paper will be of interest for researchers and practitioners seeking to understand intergenerational relations and consumption.

Beyond socioemotional wealth: taking another step toward a theory of the family firm

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
James J. Chrisman ◽  
Daniel T. Holt
Keyword(s):  
Family Firms ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Family Firm ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Socioemotional Wealth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain how the concept of socioemotional wealth can be combined with other important concepts in the family firm literature to develop a theory of the family firm. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper based on a review of the paper of Martin and Gómez-Mejía in this issue as well as the family business literature in general. Findings Martin and Gómez-Mejía (this issue) present a theoretical model and propositions on the relationship between socioemotional and financial wealth that advances understanding of family firm decision-making. That paper provides an initial step toward a theory of the family firm that can explain why firms select the family form of organization to conduct economic activities, what determines their scale and scope and why heterogeneity is observed among family firms. This commentary takes another step toward such a theory by discussing how the combined consideration of goals, governance and resources could be used to address the above three questions. Originality/value The precepts of a new theory of the family firm is presented that incorporates the concepts of goals (socioemotional wealth), governance (family ownership and control) and resources (familiness) of family firms to explain why family firms exist and potentially thrive as well as to explain the heterogeneity among family firms.

Family Firms, Social Responsibility, and Non-Family Member Employees Identification

Think India ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 10-19
Author(s):  
Ang Bao
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Program Implementation ◽  
Social Identity Theory ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
The Family ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Csr Engagement

The objective of this paper is to find the relationship between family firms’ CSR engagement and their non-family member employees’ organisational identification. Drawing upon the existing literature on social identity theory, corporate social responsibility and family firms, the author proposes that family firms engage actively in CSR programs in a balanced manner to increase non-family member employees’ organisational identification. The findings of the research suggest that by developing and implementing balanced CSR programs, and actively getting engaged in CSR activities, family firms may help their non-family member employees better identify themselves with the firms. The article points out that due to unbalanced CSR resource allocation, family firms face the problem of inefficient CSR program implementation, and are suggested to switch alternatively to an improved scheme. Family firms may be advised to take corresponding steps to select right employees, communicate better with non-family member employees, use resources better and handle firms’ succession problems efficiently. The paper extends employees’ identification and CSR research into the family firm research domain and points out some drawbacks in family firms’ CSR resource allocation while formerly were seldom noticed.

The effects of goals attainment on CEO-owner satisfaction and the role of family involvement

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-127
Author(s):  
Ondřej Machek ◽  
Jiří Hnilica
Keyword(s):  
Family Involvement ◽  
Family Business ◽  
Firm Value ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Goals ◽  
Growth Increase ◽  
The Family ◽  
Owner Satisfaction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the satisfaction with economic and non-economic goals achievement is related to the overall satisfaction with the business of the CEO-owner, and whether family involvement moderates this relationship. Design/methodology/approach Based on a survey among 323 CEO-owners of family and non-family businesses operating in the Czech Republic, the authors employ the OLS hierarchical regression analysis and test the moderating effects of family involvement on the relationship between the satisfaction with different goals attainment and the overall satisfaction with the business. Findings The main finding is that family and non-family CEO-owner’s satisfaction does not differ significantly when economic goals (profit maximisation, sales growth, increase in market share or firm value) and firm-oriented non-economic goals (satisfaction of employees, corporate reputation) are being achieved; both classes of goals increase the overall satisfaction with the firm and the family involvement does not strengthen this relationship. However, when it comes to external non-economic goals related to the society or environment, there is a significant and positive moderating effect of family involvement. Originality/value The study contributes to the family business literature. First, to date, most of the studies focused on family business goals have been qualitative, thus not allowing for generalisation of findings. Second, there is a lack of evidence on the ways in which family firms integrate their financial and non-financial goals. Third, the authors contribute to the literature on the determinants of personal satisfaction with the business for CEOs, which has been the focus on a relatively scarce number of studies.

Family dynamics and gender perspective influencing copreneurship practices

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mário Franco ◽  
Patricia Piceti
Keyword(s):  
Gender Roles ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Family Dynamics ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Business Success ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
And Gender

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the family dynamics factors and gender roles influencing the functioning of copreneurial business practices, to propose a conceptual framework based on these factors/roles. Design/methodology/approach For this purpose, a qualitative approach was adopted, through the analysis of seven businesses created by copreneurial couples in an emerging economy – Brazil. Data were obtained from an open interview with each member of the selected couples who are in charge of firm management. Findings The empirical evidence obtained shows that the most important factors for successful copreneurial family businesses are professionalization, dividing the couple’s tasks and business management. Trust, communication, flexibility and common goals are other essential relational-based factors for the good functioning of this type of family business and stability in the personal relationship. Practical implications It is clear that professionalization and the separation of positions and functions are fundamental for a balance between business management and the couple’s marital life. When couples are in harmony and considering factors such as trust, communication and flexibility (relational-based factors), the firm’s life-cycle and business success become real and more effective. Originality/value From the family dynamics factors and gender roles, this study focused on one of the most important and integrated family firm relationships, copreneurial couples. As there is little research on the heterogeneity of family firms runs specifically by copreneurial couples, this study is particularly important and innovative in the context of a developing economy, such as Brazil. Based on empirical evidence, this study was proposed an integrative and holistic framework that shows the functioning of copreneurial businesses practices.

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