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Blood in the boardroom: Family relationships influencing the functions of the board

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  • Collin, Sven-Olof Yrjö
  • Ahlberg, Jenny

Abstract

The board of directors at the family firm is often dominated by family members. While research has acknowledged the presence of the family, it has neglected the actual family composition of the board and the effects it has on the board's activities. We study the family composition of the board through using insights from evolutionary psychology, stressing genetic kinship. We present a model where the contingency of genetic relationships of the family directors influences the functional emphasis of the family firm's board. Testing the hypotheses on a convenience sample of 68 small and medium-sized Swedish family firms, we find indications of genetic kinship influencing the functions of the board. We suggest the development of the family conception along these lines, where the importance of kinship ties and characteristics of nepotism are explored. The practical implication is a recommendation for families to have a conscious strategy to manage nepotism.

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  • Collin, Sven-Olof Yrjö & Ahlberg, Jenny, 2012. "Blood in the boardroom: Family relationships influencing the functions of the board," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 207-219.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:fambus:v:3:y:2012:i:4:p:207-219
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2012.11.001
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    Cited by:

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    2. Lohe, Fynn-Willem & Calabrò, Andrea, 2017. "Please do not disturb! Differentiating board tasks in family and non-family firms during financial distress," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 36-49.
    3. Sarah Hudson & Helena V González-Gómez & Cyrlene Claasen, 2019. "Legitimacy, Particularism and Employee Commitment and Justice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(3), pages 589-603, July.
    4. Schell, Sabrina & de Groote, Julia K. & Moog, Petra & Hack, Andreas, 2020. "Successor selection in family business—A signaling game," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 11(3).
    5. José Manuel Hurtado & Inés Herrero, 2024. "Board of directors and firm resilience from a social capital perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 2770-2782, July.
    6. Stoilkovska, Aleksandra & Milenkovska , Violeta & Serafimovic , Gordana, 2013. "The Influence Of Family Relations On Decision Making In Family Businesses," UTMS Journal of Economics, University of Tourism and Management, Skopje, Macedonia, vol. 4(1), pages 17-26.
    7. Corten, Maarten & Steijvers, Tensie & Lybaert, Nadine, 2017. "The effect of intrafamily agency conflicts on audit demand in private family firms: The moderating role of the board of directors," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 8(1), pages 13-28.
    8. Catuogno, Simona & Arena, Claudia & Cirillo, Alessandro & Pennacchio, Luca, 2018. "Exploring the relation between family ownership and incentive stock options: The contingency of family leadership, board monitoring and financial crisis," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 59-72.
    9. Cristina Bettinelli & Marco Mismetti & Alfredo De Massis & Barbara Del Bosco, 2022. "A Review of Conflict and Cohesion in Social Relationships in Family Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(3), pages 539-577, May.
    10. Vandebeek, Alana & Voordeckers, Wim & Lambrechts, Frank & Huybrechts, Jolien, 2016. "Board role performance and faultlines in family firms: The moderating role of formal board evaluation," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 7(4), pages 249-259.

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