Title
The family point of view, family social capital, and firm performance: An exploratory test
Department/School
Entrepreneurship; Center for Family Business
Date of this version
2009
Document Type
Article
Keywords
ethics, social capital, dialogue, collaboration, morality, family enterprise
Abstract
Based on the social capital, conflict, and ethics literatures, this study introduces a new concept, the family point of view, and provides theoretical arguments resulting in the following hypotheses: (a) The family point of view emerges from collaborative dialogue, which helps develop agreement to ethical norms; (b) the presence of ethical norms further helps cultivate family social capital; and (c) as a resource in a family business, family social capital is positively related to family firm performance. Using structural equation modeling, an exploratory test of 405 small family firms found support for all three hypotheses. The findings indicate a fully mediated relationship among collaborative dialogue, ethical norms, family social capital, and firm performance. The study not only highlights the importance of moral infrastructure in family firms but also helps clarify components of family social capital.
Published in
Family Business Review
Citation/Other Information
22 (3) 239-253