Internationalization and innovation performance: the role of family management

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the relationships among internationalization, family-managed firms and innovation by adopting the theoretical perspective of the resource based-view theory (RBV). Leveraging on the relevance of the firms’ set of resources and in particular on the unique bundle of resources in family firms, specifically the intangible resources, the paper examines how internationalization and family involvement in the management independently, as well as jointly, influence the innovation performance. We provide empirical evidence by using a panel data of roundly 9,000 Spanish manufacturing firms via regression analysis. Firstly, results show that both internationalization and family involvement in the management have a positive effect on innovation performance. Second, by exploring the moderation role of family management, it critically emerges as positive and significant further factor, which emphasizes the effect of internationalization on innovation. Finally, conclusion, limitations and an agenda for further research are discussed.