The Temporal evolution of proactiveness in family firms: The horizontal S-curve hypothesis

Alfredo De Massis, Francesco Chirico*, Josip Kotlar, Lucia Naldi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

118 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We extend prior work on proactiveness in family firms by examining the relationship between firm age and proactiveness. Specifically, we propose an S-shaped effect of aging of family firms on proactiveness. Additionally, we provide a contingency perspective by considering the moderating role of the dispersion of managerial control among family members. Using a sample of Swiss family firms, we find that proactiveness first declines, then increases, and finally decreases again as the family firm ages, and that this relationship is steeper when the managerial control is dispersed among multiple family members.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)35-50
Number of pages16
JournalFamily Business Review
Volume27
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • agency
  • goals
  • life cycle stage
  • proactiveness
  • stewardship
  • time

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Temporal evolution of proactiveness in family firms: The horizontal S-curve hypothesis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this