IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/fambus/v15y2024i3s1877858524000287.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Legacy: The meaning of lasting impact for family, business, and beyond

Author

Listed:
  • Fox, Matthew
  • Wade-Benzoni, Kimberly A.
  • Covin, Jeffrey G.

Abstract

The concept of legacy exists at the core of family business research, yet as a construct, the nature of what legacy is and why and how legacy matters across generations has been poorly understood (Hammond, Pearson, & Holt, 2016). This lack of conceptual clarity has limited legacy research in the domain of family business. In this article, we provide a comprehensive definition of legacy that can be used to draw connections across existing legacy research and open new avenues of inquiry critical to understanding both family firms and legacy itself.

Suggested Citation

  • Fox, Matthew & Wade-Benzoni, Kimberly A. & Covin, Jeffrey G., 2024. "Legacy: The meaning of lasting impact for family, business, and beyond," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 15(3).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:fambus:v:15:y:2024:i:3:s1877858524000287
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfbs.2024.100633
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877858524000287
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jfbs.2024.100633?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ariely, Dan & Kamenica, Emir & Prelec, Drazen, 2008. "Man's search for meaning: The case of Legos," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 67(3-4), pages 671-677, September.
    2. 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.
    3. Nathan L. Hammond & Allison W. Pearson & Daniel T. Holt, 2016. "The Quagmire of Legacy in Family Firms: Definition and Implications of Family and Family Firm Legacy Orientations," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(6), pages 1209-1231, November.
    4. James G. Combs & Peter Jaskiewicz & Sabine B. Rau & Ridhima Agrawal, 2023. "Inheriting the legacy but not the business: When and where do family nonsuccessors become entrepreneurial?," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(4), pages 1961-1990, July.
    5. Andrea Calabrò & Alessandro Minichilli & Mario Daniele Amore & Marina Brogi, 2018. "The courage to choose! Primogeniture and leadership succession in family firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(7), pages 2014-2035, July.
    6. Luis R. Gomez–Mejia & Joanna Tochman Campbell & Geoffrey Martin & Robert E. Hoskisson & Marianna Makri & David G. Sirmon, 2014. "Socioemotional Wealth as a Mixed Gamble: Revisiting Family Firm R&D Investments with the Behavioral Agency Model," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(6), pages 1351-1374, November.
    7. Louise M. Kelly & Nicholas Athanassiou & William F. Crittenden, 2000. "Founder Centrality and Strategic Behavior in the Family-Owned Firm," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 25(2), pages 27-42, December.
    8. Block, Jörn & Jarchow, Svenja & Kammerlander, Nadine & Hosseini, Florian & Achleitner, Ann-Kristin, 2020. "Performance of foundation-owned firms in Germany: The role of foundation purpose, stock market listing, and family involvement," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 11(4).
    9. Francesco Barbera & Henry X. Shi & Ankit Agarwal & Mark Edwards, 2020. "The Family That Prays Together Stays Together: Toward a Process Model of Religious Value Transmission in Family Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(4), pages 661-673, May.
    10. Eddleston, Kimberly A. & Kellermanns, Franz W., 2007. "Destructive and productive family relationships: A stewardship theory perspective," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 545-565, July.
    11. Yu-Chih Chen & Natalee Hung & Bobo H. P. Lau & Rebecca M. P. Choy Yung & Ellmon S. M. Fung & Cecilia L. W. Chan, 2022. "Generativity and Gendered Pathways to Health: The Role of Human, Social, and Financial Capital Past Mid-Life," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-14, April.
    12. Christensen-Salem, Amanda & Mesquita, Luiz F. & Hashimoto, Marcos & Hom, Peter W. & Gomez-Mejia, Luis R., 2021. "Family firms are indeed better places to work than non-family firms! Socioemotional wealth and employees’ perceived organizational caring," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 12(1).
    13. Miruna Radu-Lefebvre & James Davis & William Gartner, 2024. "Legacy in Family Business: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda," Post-Print hal-04515862, HAL.
    14. Jaskiewicz, Peter & Combs, James G. & Rau, Sabine B., 2015. "Entrepreneurial legacy: Toward a theory of how some family firms nurture transgenerational entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 29-49.
    15. Tost, Leigh Plunkett & Wade-Benzoni, Kimberly A. & Johnson, Hana Huang, 2015. "Noblesse oblige emerges (with time): Power enhances intergenerational beneficence," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 61-73.
    16. Tonya Williams Bradford, 2009. "Intergenerationally Gifted Asset Dispositions," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(1), pages 93-111, June.
    17. Matthew W. Rutherford & Donald F. Kuratko, 2016. "Toward the Validation of Family Legacy Orientation," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(6), pages 1233-1239, November.
    18. Neubaum, Donald O. & Dibrell, Clay & Craig, Justin B., 2012. "Balancing natural environmental concerns of internal and external stakeholders in family and non-family businesses," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 3(1), pages 28-37.
    19. 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.
    20. Luis R. Gomez‐Mejia & Marianna Makri & Martin Larraza Kintana, 2010. "Diversification Decisions in Family‐Controlled Firms," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(2), pages 223-252, March.
    21. Fox, Matthew & Tost, Leigh Plunkett & Wade-Benzoni, Kimberly A., 2010. "The Legacy Motive: A Catalyst for Sustainable Decision Making in Organizations," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(2), pages 153-185, April.
    22. Wade-Benzoni, Kimberly A. & Sondak, Harris & Galinsky, Adam D., 2010. "Leaving a Legacy: Intergenerational Allocations of Benefits and Burdens," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(1), pages 7-34, January.
    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. 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.
    2. Gomez-Mejia, Luis R. & Mendoza-Lopez, Anabel & Cruz, Cristina & Duran, Patricio & Aguinis, Herman, 2024. "Socioemotional wealth in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous contexts: The case of family firms in Latin America and the Caribbean," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 15(1).
    3. Vanessa Weimann & Maike Gerken & Marcel Hülsbeck, 2020. "Business model innovation in family firms: dynamic capabilities and the moderating role of socioemotional wealth," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 90(3), pages 369-399, April.
    4. Miruna Radu-Lefebvre & James Davis & William Gartner, 2024. "Legacy in Family Business: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Agenda," Post-Print hal-04515862, HAL.
    5. Arndt Werner & Christian Schröder & Simone Chlosta, 2018. "Driving factors of innovation in family and non-family SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 201-218, January.
    6. Francesco Chirico & Giuseppe Criaco & Massimo Baù & Lucia Naldi & Luis R. Gomez-Mejia & Josip Kotlar, 2020. "To patent or not to patent: That is the question. Intellectual property protection in family firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(2), pages 339-367, March.
    7. Meng, Shuang & Gomez-Mejia, Luis R. & Yi, Jingtao, 2024. "Political embeddedness, socioemotional wealth, and R&D investment in family firms: Evidence from China as a transition economy," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 15(3).
    8. Min, Byung-seong, 2021. "Heterogeneity of R&D in family firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 88-95.
    9. Barros, Ismael & Hernangómez, Juan & Martin-Cruz, Natalia, 2016. "A theoretical model of strategic management of family firms. A dynamic capabilities approach," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 7(3), pages 149-159.
    10. Xueru Yang & Jun Li & Laura J. Stanley & Franz W. Kellermanns & Xinchun Li, 2020. "How family firm characteristics affect internationalization of Chinese family SMEs," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(2), pages 417-448, June.
    11. Hussingera, Katrin & Issahd, Wunnam, 2022. "Trade secret protection and R&D investment of family firms," ZEW Discussion Papers 22-039, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    12. Cornelius Hafner, 2021. "Diversification in family firms: a systematic review of product and international diversification strategies," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 529-572, April.
    13. Gómez-Mejía, Luis R. & Herrero, Inés, 2022. "Back to square one: The measurement of Socioemotional Wealth (SEW)," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4).
    14. Felipe Hernández-Perlines & Juan Moreno-García & Benito Yáñez-Araque, 2019. "The influence of socioemotional wealth in the entrepreneurial orientation of family businesses," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(2), pages 523-544, June.
    15. Rolf Wilmes & Leif Brändle & Andreas Kuckertz, 2024. "Seeds in rocky soil: the interactive role of entrepreneurial legacy and bridging in family firms’ organizational ambidexterity," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 63(3), pages 1041-1064, October.
    16. Vanessa Diaz-Moriana & Eric Clinton & Nadine Kammerlander & G. T. Lumpkin & Justin B. Craig, 2020. "Innovation Motives in Family Firms: A Transgenerational View," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(2), pages 256-287, March.
    17. Mike W. Peng & Wei Sun & Cristina Vlas & Alessandro Minichilli & Guido Corbetta, 2018. "An Institution-Based View of Large Family Firms: A Recap and Overview," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(2), pages 187-205, March.
    18. Segaro, Ethiopia L. & Larimo, Jorma & Jones, Marian V., 2014. "Internationalisation of family small and medium sized enterprises: The role of stewardship orientation, family commitment culture and top management team," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 381-395.
    19. Miller, Danny & Amore, Mario Daniele & Quarato, Fabio & Corbetta, Guido, 2022. "Family Ownership Dispersion and Dividend Payout in Family Firms," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(3).
    20. Xu, Kai & Hitt, Michael A. & Dai, Li, 2020. "International diversification of family-dominant firms: Integrating socioemotional wealth and behavioral theory of the firm," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(3).

    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:eee:fambus:v:15:y:2024:i:3:s1877858524000287. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/719791/description#description .

    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.