IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/intemj/v16y2020i3d10.1007_s11365-019-00602-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An Ongoing race: family CEOs vs. non-family CEOs

Author

Listed:
  • Dmitry Khanin

    (Nazarbayev University)

  • Atanu Rakshit

    (Nazarbayev University)

  • Raj V. Mahto

    (The University of New Mexico)

  • William C. McDowell

    (Bradley University)

Abstract

Recent studies have established that non-family CEOs invariably outperform family CEOs. In this paper, we argue that the case against family CEOs could be overstated. Applying a contingency theory, we propose that the growth stage of the firm and management practice domains moderate the influence of CEO type on firm performance. Using the dataset of 1288 family firms collected as part of the World Management Survey, we find support for most of the hypotheses. Finally, we draw attention to the conceptual and practical implications of our findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Dmitry Khanin & Atanu Rakshit & Raj V. Mahto & William C. McDowell, 2020. "An Ongoing race: family CEOs vs. non-family CEOs," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 1043-1063, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:intemj:v:16:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s11365-019-00602-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11365-019-00602-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11365-019-00602-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11365-019-00602-8?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. David G. Sirmon & Jean–Luc Arregle & Michael A. Hitt & Justin W. Webb, 2008. "The Role of Family Influence in Firms’ Strategic Responses to Threat of Imitation," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 32(6), pages 979-998, November.
    2. Nicholas Bloom & John Van Reenen, 2007. "Measuring and Explaining Management Practices Across Firms and Countries," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(4), pages 1351-1408.
    3. Michael Lubatkin & William S. Schulze & N Dino Richard, 2003. "Exploring the agency consequences of ownership dispersion among the directors of private family firms," Post-Print hal-02311676, HAL.
    4. 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.
    5. Charles W. Hofer & Ram Charan, 1984. "The Transition to Professional Management: Mission Impossible?," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 9(1), pages 1-11, 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. Michael Lubatkin & William S. Schulze & Richard N. Dino, 2003. "Exploring the agency consequences of ownership dispersion among the directors of private family firms," Post-Print hal-02276698, HAL.
    8. Peter Jaskiewicz & Joern H. Block & James G. Combs & Danny Miller, 2017. "The Effects of Founder and Family Ownership on Hired CEOs’ Incentives and Firm Performance," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 41(1), pages 73-103, January.
    9. Mehrotra, Vikas & Morck, Randall & Shim, Jungwook & Wiwattanakantang, Yupana, 2013. "Adoptive expectations: Rising sons in Japanese family firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(3), pages 840-854.
    10. Nicholas Bloom & Christos Genakos & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2011. "Management Practices Across Firms and Countries," CEP Discussion Papers dp1109, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    11. Lex Donaldson, 1987. "Strategy And Structural Adjustment To Regain Fit And Performance: In Defence Of Contingency Theory," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(1), pages 1-24, January.
    12. Jess H. Chua & James J. Chrisman & Pramodita Sharma, 1999. "Defining the Family Business by Behavior," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 23(4), pages 19-39, July.
    13. 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.
    14. repec:bla:jfinan:v:58:y:2003:i:3:p:1301-1327 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Thomas M. Zellweger & Franz W. Kellermanns & James J. Chrisman & Jess H. Chua, 2012. "Family Control and Family Firm Valuation by Family CEOs: The Importance of Intentions for Transgenerational Control," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 23(3), pages 851-868, June.
    16. Yan Zhang & Nandini Rajagopalan, 2010. "Once an outsider, always an outsider? CEO origin, strategic change, and firm performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 334-346, March.
    17. 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.
    18. McDowell, William C. & Peake, Whitney O. & Coder, LeAnne & Harris, Michael L., 2018. "Building small firm performance through intellectual capital development: Exploring innovation as the “black box”," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 321-327.
    19. Sascha Kraus & Rainer Harms & Matthias Fink, 2011. "Family firm research: sketching a research field," International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 13(1), pages 32-47.
    20. Raj V. Mahto & Peter S. Davis & John A. Pearce II & Richard B. Robinson Jr., 2010. "Satisfaction with Firm Performance in Family Businesses," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 34(5), pages 985-1002, September.
    21. James J. Chrisman & Esra Memili & Kaustav Misra, 2014. "Nonfamily Managers, Family Firms, and the Winner's Curse: The Influence of Noneconomic Goals and Bounded Rationality," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 38(5), pages 1-25, September.
    22. Kudlats, Jerry & McDowell, William C. & Mahto, Raj V., 2019. "Unrelated but together: Trust and intergroup relations in multi-family businesses," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 750-756.
    23. George C. Rubenson & Anil K. Gupta, 1997. "The Initial Succession: A Contingency Model of Founder Tenure," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 21(2), pages 21-36, January.
    24. Unai Arzubiaga & Txomin Iturralde & Amaia Maseda & Josip Kotlar, 2018. "Entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance in family SMEs: the moderating effects of family, women, and strategic involvement in the board of directors," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 217-244, March.
    25. 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.
    26. William C. McDowell & Lucy M. Matthews & Ryan L. Matthews & Joshua R. Aaron & Diane R. Edmondson & Cheryl B. Ward, 2019. "The price of success: balancing the effects of entrepreneurial commitment, work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion on job satisfaction," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 1179-1192, December.
    27. William S. Schulze & Michael H. Lubatkin & Richard N. Dino & Ann K. Buchholtz, 2001. "Agency Relationships in Family Firms: Theory and Evidence," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 99-116, April.
    28. Sharma, Pramodita & Chrisman, James J. & Chua, Jess H., 2003. "Predictors of satisfaction with the succession process in family firms," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 18(5), pages 667-687, September.
    29. Raj V. Mahto & Jiun-Shiu Chen & William C. McDowell & Saurabh Ahluwalia, 2019. "Shared Identity, Family Influence, and the Transgenerational Intentions in Family Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-15, February.
    30. Ronald C. Anderson & David M. Reeb, 2003. "Founding‐Family Ownership and Firm Performance: Evidence from the S&P 500," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(3), pages 1301-1328, June.
    31. Danny Miller & Isabelle Le Breton-Miller & Alessandro Minichilli & Guido Corbetta & Daniel Pittino, 2014. "When do Non-Family CEOs Outperform in Family Firms? Agency and Behavioural Agency Perspectives," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(4), pages 547-572, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Feito-Ruiz, Isabel & Menéndez-Requejo, Susana, 2022. "Debt maturity in family firms: Heterogeneity across countries," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    2. Comino-Jurado, María & Sánchez-Andújar, Sonia & Parrado-Martínez, Purificación, 2021. "Reassessing debt-financing decisions in family firms: Family involvement on the board of directors and generational stage," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 426-435.
    3. Marinko Škare & Małgorzata Porada-Rochoń, 2021. "Measuring the impact of financial cycles on family firms: how to prepare for crisis?," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 1111-1130, September.

    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. Simon C. Parker, 2016. "Family Firms and the “Willing Successor†Problem," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 40(6), pages 1241-1259, November.
    2. 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.
    3. Alessandro Minichilli & Mattias Nordqvist & Guido Corbetta & Mario Daniele Amore, 2014. "CEO Succession Mechanisms, Organizational Context, and Performance: A Socio-Emotional Wealth Perspective on Family-Controlled Firms," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(7), pages 1153-1179, November.
    4. Alfredo De Massis & Josip Kotlar & Pietro Mazzola & Tommaso Minola & Salvatore Sciascia, 2018. "Conflicting Selves: Family Owners' Multiple Goals and Self-Control Agency Problems in Private Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 42(3), pages 362-389, May.
    5. 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.
    6. Ahlers, Oliver & Hack, Andreas & Kellermanns, Franz W., 2014. "“Stepping into the buyers’ shoes”: Looking at the value of family firms through the eyes of private equity investors," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 5(4), pages 384-396.
    7. Kosmidou, Vasiliki & Holt, Daniel T., 2022. "The relationship between family management and performance: A configurational approach in exploring the role of socioemotional wealth and generational stage," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(4).
    8. 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.
    9. Cho, Jaeyoung & Miller, Danny & Lee, Jangwoo, 2018. "Too much of a good thing: Family involvement and the survival of listed Korean firms," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 9(4), pages 223-237.
    10. Min, Byung-seong, 2021. "Heterogeneity of R&D in family firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 88-95.
    11. McGuire, Jean & Dow, Sandra & Ibrahim, Bakr, 2012. "All in the family? Social performance and corporate governance in the family firm," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 65(11), pages 1643-1650.
    12. Cambrea, Domenico Rocco & Ponomareva, Yuliya & Pittino, Daniel & Minichilli, Alessandro, 2022. "Strings attached: Socioemotional wealth mixed gambles in the cash management choices of family firms," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 13(3).
    13. Astrachan, Joseph H., 2010. "Strategy in family business: Toward a multidimensional research agenda," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 6-14, March.
    14. Isabelle Le Breton-Miller & Danny Miller & Richard H. Lester, 2011. "Stewardship or Agency? A Social Embeddedness Reconciliation of Conduct and Performance in Public Family Businesses," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 22(3), pages 704-721, June.
    15. Miller, Danny & Le Breton-Miller, Isabelle & Amore, Mario Daniele & Minichilli, Alessandro & Corbetta, Guido, 2017. "Institutional logics, family firm governance and performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 674-693.
    16. Tsao, Chiung-Wen & Le Breton-Miller, Isabelle & Miller, Danny & Chen, Shyh-Jer, 2021. "Firing managers: The benefits of family ownership and costs of family management," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 12(3).
    17. Basco, Rodrigo, 2013. "The family's effect on family firm performance: A model testing the demographic and essence approaches," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 42-66.
    18. Mario Daniele Amore & Morten Bennedsen & Isabelle Le Breton‐Miller & Danny Miller, 2021. "Back to the future: The effect of returning family successions on firm performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(8), pages 1432-1458, August.
    19. Ulrich Lichtenthaler & Miriam Muethel, 2012. "Retracted: The Impact of Family Involvement on Dynamic Innovation Capabilities: Evidence from German Manufacturing Firms," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 36(6), pages 1235-1253, November.
    20. William S. Schulze & Franz W. Kellermanns, 2015. "Reifying Socioemotional Wealth," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 39(3), pages 447-459, May.

    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:spr:intemj:v:16:y:2020:i:3:d:10.1007_s11365-019-00602-8. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    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.