Knowledge integration in family firms: Understanding the nexus between familiness and organizational effectiveness

Although knowledge integration has been deemed relevant for the development and survival of family firms, prior studies suggest that the lack of skills to combine and transfer incumbent family members' knowledge within the family may hinder family firms' organizational effectiveness. Knowl...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:European management review 2024-03, Vol.21 (1), p.150-165
Main Authors: Barros‐Contreras, Ismael, Campopiano, Giovanna, Discua Cruz, Allan, Martin‐Cruz, Natalia, Hernangómez B., Juan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Companies
dynamic capabilities
familiness
family business
Family owned businesses
Governance
knowledge integration
Organizational effectiveness
Owners
Ownership
Parent participation
Relatives
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Although knowledge integration has been deemed relevant for the development and survival of family firms, prior studies suggest that the lack of skills to combine and transfer incumbent family members' knowledge within the family may hinder family firms' organizational effectiveness. Knowledge integration, in this context, might depend on family involvement in ownership, management and governance, and family essence, considering the emotional and relational aspects of the influence the family exerts on the business. Relying on knowledge‐based view and dynamic capability perspectives, we propose a model suggesting that knowledge integration intervenes in the relationship between familiness and organizational effectiveness. Our hypotheses are tested on a sample of 102 private Spanish family businesses. The results reveal that familiness is beneficial for knowledge integration, enhancing family firms' organizational effectiveness. Our study provides practical implications for family business owners and managers, and opportunities for further research.
ISSN:1740-4754
1740-4762
DOI:10.1111/emre.12572