Innovation Through Tradition: Lessons From Innovative Family Businesses and Directions for Future Research

Abstract

Il sottoscritto Josip Kotlar, Codice Fiscale KTL JSP 84S30Z 149U , nato a Zara (Croazia) il 30/11/1984, residente a Preston (Regno Unito), in Moor Park Avenue no. 1, consapevole che chiunque rilascia dichiarazioni mendaci è punito ai sensi del codice penale e delle leggi speciali in materia, ai sensi e per gli effetti dell'art. 46 D.P.R. n. 445/2000 DICHIARA che gli autori della pubblicazione scientifica contenuta nel presente documento hanno contributo alla sua realizzazione come indicato di seguito: • De Massis ha scritto le sezioni intitolate "Tradition and Family Businesses", "Sources of Past Knowledge", "Research Gaps and Related Research Questions" per i Research Gaps dal Nr. 1 al Nr. 6 • Frattini ha scritto le sezioni intitolate "Dynamic Capabilities, and Creating and Capturing Value With Innovation", "Forms of Past Knowledge", "Types of Product Innovation" • Kotlar ha scritto le sezioni intitolate "Toward a Model of Innovation Through Tradition", "Illustrative Examples of Long-Lasting and Innovative Family Firms", "Research Gaps and Related Research Questions" per i Research Gaps dal Nr. 7 al Nr. 12 • Messeni Petruzzelli ha scritto le sezioni intitolate "Is Tradition a Resource or a Liability?", "Temporal Search and Tradition", "Interiorization and Reinterpretation Capabilities" • Wright ha scritto la sezione intitolata "Introduction"

Tracing the Roots of Innovativeness in Family SMEs: The Effect of Family Functionality and Socioemotional Wealth

“…As such, organized knowledge transfer between the source and recipient (i.e., the predecessor and successor) is crucial for innovativeness (Cabrera‐Suárez et al, ). This renewal of family bonds facilitates the creation of a close link between present and past (Zellweger et al, ) through which family history, including the firm's tacit knowledge, practices, and processes, and the families' shared values, norms, and beliefs can be handed down across generations (De Massis, Frattini, Kotlar, Petruzzelli, and Wright, ), a vital ingredient for innovation (Sirmon and Hitt, ). Further, easier transfer of tacit knowledge among family members can ensue from intrafamily succession, as predecessor and successor know each other and already have a trustful social relationship.…”

Family Influence and R&D Spending in Dutch Manufacturing SMEs: The Role of Identity and Socioemotional Decision Considerations

“…Based on a review of the literature, a parsimonious set of four distinct SDCs was derived, each one of which can be expected (a) to be affected by family influence and (b) to have a significant effect on firms' R&D spending decisions (Berrone et al, ; Chen and Hsu, ; Craig and Dibrell, ; Deephouse and Jaskiewicz, ; De Massis, Kotlar, Frattini, Petruzelli, and Wright, ; Miller and Le Breton‐Miller, ). Two of these SDCs—concern for current control and concern for extended preservation—can be associated with the notion of a family nurturer role identity (cf.…”

“…In organizations with strong shared values—in particular those hailing from the family system such as values of care and concern—organizational members feel motivated to come up with novel ideas and to be actively involved in innovation (Bammens, ; Bammens et al, ; Khazanchi et al, ; Miller et al, ). While respect for traditions at first glance seems to conflict with the notion of innovation, a recent research stream builds a case for the innovation‐enhancing potential of tradition as it essentially heightens firms' capabilities for creatively recombining knowledge created at different points in time to develop new artifacts (De Massis et al, ; Petruzzelli and Savino, ). That is, by recombining selected forms of past knowledge that lie within firms' traditions with up‐to‐date technologies “firms that build long‐lasting and intimate links with their traditions can be extremely innovative while remaining firmly anchored to the past” (De Massis et al, , p. 93).…”

“…While respect for traditions at first glance seems to conflict with the notion of innovation, a recent research stream builds a case for the innovation‐enhancing potential of tradition as it essentially heightens firms' capabilities for creatively recombining knowledge created at different points in time to develop new artifacts (De Massis et al, ; Petruzzelli and Savino, ). That is, by recombining selected forms of past knowledge that lie within firms' traditions with up‐to‐date technologies “firms that build long‐lasting and intimate links with their traditions can be extremely innovative while remaining firmly anchored to the past” (De Massis et al, , p. 93). Family firms are particularly capable of leveraging their traditions in the innovation process.…”

Perception of Innovation For the Next 25 Years: International Perspective

“…These studies focus on the future of family businesses (De Massis et al, 2016), service innovation in IT (Barrett et al, 2015), technological improvements (Weber, 2016), future of innovation in public sector (Bach et al, 2016), digital system trends (Morabita, 2016) etc. Though a general evaluation followed by a qualitative analysis is novel for the literature.…”