Are Family Firms More Entrepreneurial than Non-Family Firms? A Multidimensional Comparative Approach

• Published in: SUSTAINABILITY
• Main Authors: Suder, Marcin; Okreglicka, Malgorzata; Wodecka-Hyjek, Angelika; Mior Harun, Mior Harris; Klobukowski, Pawel; Tora, Justyna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2024
• Subjects: Science & Technology - Other Topics; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
• Online Access: https://www-webofscience-com.uitm.idm.oclc.org/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001386958700001

Entrepreneurship is considered one of the key factors in facilitating a company's pursuit of sustainable development. The findings of this study can help firms improve their entrepreneurial capacity and highlight its significance for sustainable development; therefore, the levels of entrepreneurship serve as indicators of the potentials of enterprises to achieve sustainable development goals. The existing literature has explored whether there are differences in the approaches between family and non-family firms as well as in their levels of entrepreneurship. Contributing to this ongoing debate, this article aims to compare the levels of entrepreneurship between these two types of companies in a selected small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector. The analysis encompasses eight dimensions of entrepreneurship: risk-taking, innovativeness, proactiveness, inter-organizational cooperation, competitiveness, diversification, flexibility, and digitalization. This study was conducted on a sample of 145 small printing companies that operated in Poland in 2023. The results of the statistical analysis revealed that family firms exhibited a higher level of entrepreneurship when treated as a multidimensional construct. Moreover, family firms outperformed non-family firms across all of the analyzed dimensions, with statistically significant differences being observed in four dimensions: innovativeness, proactiveness, diversification, and competitiveness. This study confirmed the existing indications in the literature that family firms demonstrated higher levels of entrepreneurship, which may suggest their greater potential in pursuing sustainable development. The novelty of this research lies in its multidimensional approach, which offers a comprehensive analysis that integrates eight dimensions of entrepreneurship. This allowed for a deeper understanding of entrepreneurial behaviors and attitudes when highlighting the unique characteristics of family and non-family firms. The findings are particularly relevant for the owners and managers of family and non-family businesses; they provide tools for diagnosing entrepreneurship levels in a more comprehensive manner and applying tailored management practices for addressing areas that require improvement. One limitation of this study is its focus on a single sector; this may have affected the generalizability of the results. Future research could explore governance and ownership structures when analyzing entrepreneurial dimensions-particularly in the context of family firms.