Exploring the double-edged sword of familiness from a knowledge-based perspective
ISSN: 1746-5265
Article publication date: 7 October 2020
Issue publication date: 31 December 2020
Abstract
Purpose
For family businesses, familiness constitutes a unique bundle of resources and capabilities resulting from family relationships and influences. The extant literature has shown that familiness impacts organizational outcomes such as performance and innovation. This paper investigates the role of familiness in relation to absorptive capacity (ACAP). It also explores the specificities of nonfamily members’ social capital when different knowledge management (KM) approaches are adopted.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory comparative case study design is adopted. Data from three family firms based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) provide the empirical setting for this study. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews, available documents, observations and company websites.
Findings
Our results reveal that the role of familiness in relation to ACAP varies according to the adopted KM approach. Familiness targets the potential ACAP when an explicit KM approach is adopted, the realized ACAP when a tacit KM approach is adopted, and both potential and realized ACAPs when a strategic KM approach is adopted. Our results also show that family firms invest in KM processes that support knowledge exploration and/or exploitation.
Originality/value
This paper provides further evidence for the role of familiness. It moves beyond the study of familiness from a resource-based view and adopts a knowledge-based perspective to develop a better understanding of the role of familiness in relation to ACAP. It also improves our understanding of nonfamily members’ social capital in family firms.
Keywords
Citation
Belkhodja, O. and Daghfous, A. (2021), "Exploring the double-edged sword of familiness from a knowledge-based perspective", Baltic Journal of Management, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 71-96. https://doi.org/10.1108/BJM-12-2019-0416
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited