Emergent change in family firms: the interplay between start-ups, family firm employees, and owner-managers in innovation collaborations

Organizational change in family firms is crucial for their long-term survival, but such change is often constrained by the family’s attachment to existing traditions and structures. Collaborations with start-ups can contribute to overcoming such inertia by introducing new ways of working and thinking, which can foster emergent organizational change. However, little is known about how these collaborations trigger and enable emergent organizational change in family firms. Based on six cases of family firms collaborating with start-ups and 40 qualitative interviews, we uncover how start-ups reveal change opportunities, translate them into actionable practices with employees, and support the diffusion of emergent change across the organization. We identify three enablers—perceived benefit for employees, employee empowerment, and informal validation by owner-managers—that shape whether emergent change unfolds. Our findings advance the understanding of how start-up collaborations foster emergent change in family firms and contribute to the literature on organizational change and family firm innovation.