Social network research in the family business literature: a review and integration

Yates, Victoria Antin; Vardaman, James M.; Chrisman, James J.

doi:10.1007/s11187-022-00665-y

Cited by 23 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 117 publications

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“…First, our findings on family firms' relationships with regard to knowledge transfer could be read in the context of the path-dependent capabilities influencing innovation in family firms (Lorenzo et al, 2022), thereby highlighting further the complexity underlying the nexus of knowledge exchange, innovation in family-firms and their networks (Chirico et al, 2022). Second, we contribute to the wider debate on interfirm networks and knowledge transfer, by highlighting that family firm-based networks can be usefully understood and connected within the literatures on social capital and entrepreneurship: not only by recognizing that entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship are socially situated (Herrero et al, 2021), but also considering the uniqueness of family firms in the development of organizational social capital and inter-firm networks (Yates et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Family firm network strategies in regional clusters: evidence from Italy

et al. 2023

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Knowledge networks in regional clusters are fundamental to support innovation and local development. Within clusters, family firms are key in creating business opportunities and supporting the establishment of inter-organizational networks. Yet, their role within regional clusters for knowledge transfers is still not well understood, especially in comparison with non-family firms. This paper applies Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) to network data collected from the Parabiago cluster, one of the most important Italian footwear clusters, to contribute to a better understanding of the network strategies of family firms. We identify distinct network strategies associated with the cluster firms, accounting for different knowledge exchange types: technological, market, and managerial. In our modelling, we control for firm-level attributes and dyadic-level attributes, such as geographical distance and cognitive proximity between cluster firms. Our results suggest that the proneness of family firms to grow networks is highly robust relative to non-family firm relationships, irrespective of knowledge types being exchanged. Moreover, family firms tend to establish connections with other family firms, showing the presence of homophily in their networking approach; however, non-family firms are rather different, since they do not have the same homophilous approach when it comes to exchange knowledge with other non-family firms. These results indicate that the nature of ownership is driving knowledge exchange differences. This key feature of family-only relationships in clusters may help managers and policymakers in devising more effective and targeted cluster strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Family firm network strategies in regional clusters: evidence from Italy

et al. 2023

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“…The settings for our studies also involved change recipients receiving the same communication from the same source. Additional generalizability may be gained though studies in larger, more geographically dispersed organizations and in other workplace settings (Yates et al, 2022). We were also unable to control for work unit membership, which is a potentially competing mechanism through which perceptions become collectively shared.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collective friend group reactions to organizational change: A field theory approach

et al. 2023

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SummaryThis paper integrates field theory with a social network perspective to show that perceptions of the quality of the organization's change communication become collectively shared in friend groups, and that these collective perceptions positively influence collective job performance in those friend groups. Findings from two studies show that these collective perceptions influence collective performance both directly and by interacting with change history in friend groups. The results extend theory by highlighting the importance of friendships as a mechanism for change recipient reactions becoming collectively shared. The findings further suggest that collective histories and communication perceptions play a vital role in collective job performance during change. Practical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

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“…The findings from our study have implications for family business leaders. Consistent with trends focusing on the effects of social networks within the family firm context (Yates et al, 2023), we studied effects of social networks on recruitment within a family firm's context. Our results suggest that family firms with a strong commitment to the controlling family unit can attain quality nonfamily human capital if they use their social networks in hiring.…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reducing agency costs through recruitment: staffing referrals and family business success

Vardaman

Tabor

Hargrove

et al. 2023

JFBM

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PurposeThe role of family business staffing practices in their ultimate success remains largely unknown. The purpose of this paper is to test the notion that firms with greater family essence manifest their commitment by leveraging referrals as a recruitment source, which in turn is associated with higher performance. The hypothesized model posits that reduced agency costs from hiring through owner referral utilization (ORU) provide high-family essence firms with stronger performance.Design/methodology/approachThe study draws upon a sample of 194 small and medium-sized family business owners.FindingsFindings from OLS regression and the PROCESS model in SPSS support the hypothesis that recruiting nonfamily employees from referrals helps lessen agency conflicts and serves as an intervening mechanism in the relationship between family firm essence and firm performance.Originality/valueThis study draws on agency theory to shed light on how family firms successfully bring nonfamily employees into the fold despite their human resource limitations. The results extend theory on family businesses by demonstrating that those with higher degrees of family essence are more likely to attract applicants via ORU. Leveraging this recruiting practice allows family businesses to hire nonfamily employees who share the values and goals of the family firm, thus lowering agency costs and fostering higher performance. More broadly, the findings offer insight into the role of staffing practices in family firm success.

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Social network research in the family business literature: a review and integration

Cited by 23 publications

References 117 publications

Family firm network strategies in regional clusters: evidence from Italy

Family firm network strategies in regional clusters: evidence from Italy

Collective friend group reactions to organizational change: A field theory approach

Reducing agency costs through recruitment: staffing referrals and family business success

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