IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/lui/casmef/2401.html

Open innovation in family-owned firms

Author

Listed:
  • Valentina Peruzzi

    (Sapienza University of Rome)

Abstract

This paper investigates the impact of family ownership on firms’ adoption of open innovation strategies. Using data from the VIII UniCredit survey on medium-sized enterprises, we find that family ownership is positively and significantly associated with the adoption of open innovation models by firms. The propensity to engage in open innovation by family firms is particularly pronounced in firms involved in product innovation and in collaborations with suppliers. The paper also delves into the inherent characteristics of family owners, emphasizing that the positive association between family ownership and open innovation is largely driven by their long-term perspective and relational abilities.

Suggested Citation

  • Valentina Peruzzi, 2024. "Open innovation in family-owned firms," Working Papers CASMEF 2401, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza, LUISS Guido Carli.
    • Handle: RePEc:lui:casmef:2401
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.luiss.it/sites/default/files/2024-01/2401_wp.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Francesco Aiello & Paola Cardamone & Lidia Mannarino & Valeria Pupo, 2021. "Does external R&D matter for family firm innovation? Evidence from the Italian manufacturing industry," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1915-1930, December.
    2. Raghuram G. Rajan & Luigi Zingales, 2001. "Financial Systems, Industrial Structure, and Growth," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 17(4), pages 467-482.
    3. David B. Audretsch & Maksim Belitski, 2024. "Geography of knowledge collaboration and innovation in Schumpeterian firms," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(4), pages 821-840, April.
    4. Raoul Minetti & Pierluigi Murro & Susan Chun Zhu, 2015. "Family Firms, Corporate Governance and Export," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 82, pages 1177-1216, December.
    5. Laeven, Luc & Levine, Ross, 2007. "Is there a diversification discount in financial conglomerates?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(2), pages 331-367, August.
    6. Brockman, Paul & Khurana, Inder K. & Zhong, Rong (Irene), 2018. "Societal trust and open innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(10), pages 2048-2065.
    7. Obradović, Tena & Vlačić, Božidar & Dabić, Marina, 2021. "Open innovation in the manufacturing industry: A review and research agenda," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    8. Luigi Guiso & Paola Sapienza & Luigi Zingales, 2004. "The Role of Social Capital in Financial Development," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(3), pages 526-556, June.
    9. Amit, Raphael & Ding, Yuan & Villalonga, Belén & Zhang, Hua, 2015. "The role of institutional development in the prevalence and performance of entrepreneur and family-controlled firms," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 284-305.
    10. Bennedsen, Morten & Fan, Joseph P.H. & Jian, Ming & Yeh, Yin-Hua, 2015. "The family business map: Framework, selective survey, and evidence from Chinese family firm succession," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 212-226.
    11. Vivian W. Fang & Xuan Tian & Sheri Tice, 2014. "Does Stock Liquidity Enhance or Impede Firm Innovation?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 69(5), pages 2085-2125, October.
    12. Stefano Magistretti & Claudio Dell’Era & Alfredo De Massis & Federico Frattini, 2019. "Exploring the relationship between types of family involvement and collaborative innovation in design-intensive firms: insights from two leading players in the furniture industry," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(10), pages 1121-1151, November.
    13. Bruno Cassiman & Reinhilde Veugelers, 2002. "R&D Cooperation and Spillovers: Some Empirical Evidence from Belgium," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(4), pages 1169-1184, September.
    14. David Sraer & David Thesmar, 2007. "Performance and Behavior of Family Firms: Evidence from the French Stock Market," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 5(4), pages 709-751, June.
    15. Jappelli, Tullio & Pagano, Marco & Bianco, Magda, 2005. "Courts and Banks: Effects of Judicial Enforcement on Credit Markets," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 37(2), pages 223-244, April.
    16. Bunkanwanicha, Pramuan & Fan, Joseph P. H. & Wiwattanakantang, Yupana, 2013. "The Value of Marriage to Family Firms," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 48(2), pages 611-636, April.
    17. Julian Franks & Colin Mayer & Paolo Volpin & Hannes F. Wagner, 2012. "The Life Cycle of Family Ownership: International Evidence," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 25(6), pages 1675-1712.
    18. de Faria, Pedro & Lima, Francisco & Santos, Rui, 2010. "Cooperation in innovation activities: The importance of partners," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(8), pages 1082-1092, October.
    19. Marco Cucculelli & Valentina Peruzzi, 2020. "Post-crisis firm survival, business model changes, and learning: evidence from the Italian manufacturing industry," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 459-474, February.
    20. Zhang, Xiaobin & Chu, Zhaofang & Ren, Lei & Xing, Jianguo, 2023. "Open innovation and sustainable competitive advantage: The role of organizational learning," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    21. Anderson, Ronald C. & Duru, Augustine & Reeb, David M., 2012. "Investment policy in family controlled firms," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1744-1758.
    22. Wyrwich, Michael & Steinberg, Philip J. & Noseleit, Florian & de Faria, Pedro, 2022. "Is open innovation imprinted on new ventures? The cooperation-inhibiting legacy of authoritarian regimes," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(1).
    23. Danny Miller & Isabelle Le Breton‐Miller & Barry Scholnick, 2008. "Stewardship vs. Stagnation: An Empirical Comparison of Small Family and Non‐Family Businesses," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 51-78, January.
    24. Marco Cucculelli & Valentina Peruzzi & Alberto Zazzaro, 2019. "Relational capital in lending relationships: evidence from European family firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 277-301, January.
    25. Maietta, Ornella Wanda, 2015. "Determinants of university–firm R&D collaboration and its impact on innovation: A perspective from a low-tech industry," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(7), pages 1341-1359.
    26. Minetti, Raoul & Murro, Pierluigi & Paiella, Monica, 2015. "Ownership structure, governance, and innovation," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 165-193.
    27. Fabiano Schivardi & Martin Schneider, 2008. "Strategic Experimentation and Disruptive Technological Change," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 11(2), pages 386-412, April.
    28. Cucculelli, Marco & Peruzzi, Valentina, 2020. "Innovation over the industry life-cycle. Does ownership matter?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(1).
    29. Bird, Miriam & Wennberg, Karl, 2014. "Regional influences on the prevalence of family versus non-family start-ups," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 421-436.
    30. Francesca Bartoli & Giovanni Ferri & Pierluigi Murro & Zeno Rotondi, 2014. "Bank support and export: evidence from small Italian firms," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 42(2), pages 245-264, February.
    31. Audretsch, B. David & Belitski, Maksim, 2023. "The limits to open innovation and its impact on innovation performance," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    32. Maria Jesus Nieto & Lluis Santamaria & Zulima Fernandez, 2015. "Understanding the Innovation Behavior of Family Firms," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(2), pages 382-399, April.
    33. David G. Sirmon & Michael A. Hitt, 2003. "Managing Resources: Linking Unique Resources, Management, and Wealth Creation in Family Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 27(4), pages 339-358, October.
    34. Marianne Bertrand & Antoinette Schoar, 2006. "The Role of Family in Family Firms," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 20(2), pages 73-96, Spring.
    35. Mara Faccio & Maria-Teresa Marchica & Roberto Mura, 2011. "Large Shareholder Diversification and Corporate Risk-Taking," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 24(11), pages 3601-3641.
    36. Coad, Alex & Frankish, Julian & Roberts, Richard G. & Storey, David J., 2013. "Growth paths and survival chances: An application of Gambler's Ruin theory," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(5), pages 615-632.
    37. Nicolas Classen & Anita Van gils & Yannick Bammens & Martin Carree, 2012. "Accessing Resources from Innovation Partners: The Search Breadth of Family SMEs," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(2), pages 191-215, April.
    38. Peruzzi, Valentina, 2024. "In family we trust: Religiosity and credit rationing in family-owned firms," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 243(C).
    39. Block, Joern H., 2012. "R&D investments in family and founder firms: An agency perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 248-265.
    40. Hanqing “Chevy†Fang & James J. Chrisman & Daniel T. Holt, 2021. "Strategic Persistence in Family Business," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(4), pages 931-950, July.
    41. Linda Argote & Ella Miron-Spektor, 2011. "Organizational Learning: From Experience to Knowledge," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(5), pages 1123-1137, October.
    42. Wouter Broekaert & Petra Andries & Koenraad Debackere, 2016. "Innovation processes in family firms: the relevance of organizational flexibility," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 47(3), pages 771-785, October.
    43. Bertrand, Marianne & Johnson, Simon & Samphantharak, Krislert & Schoar, Antoinette, 2008. "Mixing family with business: A study of Thai business groups and the families behind them," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(3), pages 466-498, June.
    44. Chi, Yung-Ling, 2023. "The agency costs of family ownership: Evidence from innovation performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    45. Tether, Bruce S., 2002. "Who co-operates for innovation, and why: An empirical analysis," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 947-967, August.
    46. Bruno Cassiman & Reinhilde Veugelers, 2006. "In Search of Complementarity in Innovation Strategy: Internal R& D and External Knowledge Acquisition," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(1), pages 68-82, January.
    47. Kobarg, Sebastian & Stumpf-Wollersheim, Jutta & Welpe, Isabell M., 2019. "More is not always better: Effects of collaboration breadth and depth on radical and incremental innovation performance at the project level," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 1-10.
    48. Patricio Duran & Nadine Kammerlander & Marc van Essen & Thomas Zellweger, 2016. "Doing More with Less : Innovation Input and Output in Family Firms," Post-Print hal-02312103, HAL.
    49. Munari, Federico & Oriani, Raffaele & Sobrero, Maurizio, 2010. "The effects of owner identity and external governance systems on R&D investments: A study of Western European firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(8), pages 1093-1104, October.
    50. Christina Guenther & Maksim Belitski & Nada Rejeb, 2023. "Overcoming the ability-willingness paradox in small family firms’ collaborations," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1409-1429, April.
    51. Patricio Duran & Nadine Kammerlander & Marc van Essen & Thomas Zellweger, 2016. "Doing More with Less : Innovation Input and Output in Family Firms," Post-Print hal-02276703, HAL.
    52. Belitski, Maksim & Rejeb, Nada, 2022. "Does open customer innovation model hold for family firms?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 334-346.
    53. Santikian, Lori, 2014. "The ties that bind: Bank relationships and small business lending," Journal of Financial Intermediation, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 177-213.
    54. Fritsch, Michael & Lukas, Rolf, 2001. "Who cooperates on R&D?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 297-312, February.
    55. Schmid, Thomas & Achleitner, Ann-Kristin & Ampenberger, Markus & Kaserer, Christoph, 2014. "Family firms and R&D behavior – New evidence from a large-scale survey," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 233-244.
    56. Pierluigi Murro & Valentina Peruzzi, 2022. "Relationship lending and the use of trade credit: the role of relational capital and private information," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 327-360, June.
    57. Murro, Pierluigi & Peruzzi, Valentina, 2019. "Family firms and access to credit. Is family ownership beneficial?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 173-187.
    58. Negassi, S., 2004. "R&D co-operation and innovation a microeconometric study on French firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 365-384, April.
    59. World Bank, 2010. "World Development Indicators 2010," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 4373, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Murro, Pierluigi & Peruzzi, Valentina, 2026. "Credit constraints and open innovation strategies," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    2. Christina Guenther & Maksim Belitski & Nada Rejeb, 2023. "Overcoming the ability-willingness paradox in small family firms’ collaborations," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 60(4), pages 1409-1429, April.
    3. Joern Block & Christopher Hansen & Holger Steinmetz, 2023. "Are Family Firms Doing More Innovation Output With Less Innovation Input? A Replication and Extension," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 47(4), pages 1496-1520, July.
    4. Jin-hui Luo & Xue Li & Linda C. Wang & Yue Liu, 2021. "Owner type, pyramidal structure and R&D Investment in China’s family firms," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 1085-1111, September.
    5. Chirico, Francesco & Ireland, R. Duane & Pittino, Daniel & Sanchez-Famoso, Valeriano, 2025. "Resource orchestration, socioemotional wealth, and radical innovation in family firms: Do multifamily ownership and generational involvement matter?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(1).
    6. Francesco Aiello & Lidia Mannarino & Valeria Pupo, 2024. "Family firm heterogeneity and patenting. Revising the role of size and age," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(1), pages 105-133, June.
    7. Cucculelli, Marco & Peruzzi, Valentina, 2020. "Innovation over the industry life-cycle. Does ownership matter?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(1).
    8. Murro, Pierluigi & Peruzzi, Valentina, 2019. "Family firms and access to credit. Is family ownership beneficial?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 173-187.
    9. Ivan Miroshnychenko & Alfredo De Massis & Danny Miller & Roberto Barontini, 2021. "Family Business Growth Around the World," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 45(4), pages 682-708, July.
    10. María Jesús Rodríguez-Gulías & Sara Fernández-López & David Rodeiro-Pazos, 2024. "Disentangling the Effects of Knowledge Spillovers and Family Firm Nature on Innovative Performance: a Multilevel Approach," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 6362-6389, June.
    11. Jiang, Fuxiu & Shi, Wei & Zheng, Xiaojia, 2020. "Board chairs and R&D investment: Evidence from Chinese family-controlled firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 109-118.
    12. Lin, Hsing-Er & Yu, Andy & Stambaugh, Jeff & Tsao, Chiung-Wen & Wang, Rebecca Jen-Hui & Hsu, I-Chieh, 2023. "Family CEO duality and research and development intensity in public family enterprises: Temporality as a model boundary," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    13. Hanqing “Chevy” Fang & Kulraj Singh & Taewoo Kim & Laura Marler & James J. Chrisman, 2022. "Family business research in Asia: review and future directions," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 1215-1256, December.
    14. Julio Diéguez-Soto & María J. Martínez-Romero, 2019. "Family Involvement in Management and Product Innovation: The Mediating Role of R&D Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-24, April.
    15. Xie, Peijun & Wang, Jian & Tang, Shiyi & Shahzadi, Irum & Bilan, Yuriy, 2025. "How does intergenerational transmission affect green innovation? Evidence from Chinese family businesses," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 158-169.
    16. Nieto, María Jesús & Santamaria, Luis & Bammens, Yannick, 2023. "Digitalization as a facilitator of open innovation: Are family firms different?," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    17. Cucculelli, Marco & Le Breton-Miller, Isabelle & Miller, Danny, 2016. "Product innovation, firm renewal and family governance," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 90-104.
    18. Migliori, Stefania & De Massis, Alfredo & Maturo, Fabrizio & Paolone, Francesco, 2020. "How does family management affect innovation investment propensity? The key role of innovation impulses," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 243-256.
    19. Sondos G. Abdelgawad & Shaker A. Zahra, 2020. "Family Firms’ Religious Identity and Strategic Renewal," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 775-787, May.
    20. César Camisón-Zornoza & Beatriz Forés-Julián & Alba Puig-Denia & Sergio Camisón-Haba, 0. "Effects of ownership structure and corporate and family governance on dynamic capabilities in family firms," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-34.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • O36 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Open Innovation
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:lui:casmef:2401. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Pierluigi Murro (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/deluiit.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.