Project R-9062

The influence of resource combinations and dynamic capabilities on radical technological innovation in small and medium- sized family businesses. (Research)

Investing in radical technological innovation is now more than ever important for our welfare. As family firms form the backbone of our economy, it is important to study what enables these companies to develop and launch radical technological innovations. Primarily built on the resource-based view, this project develops a theoretical framework and empirically tests the influence of distinct bundles of resources, dynamic capabilities and their interaction with family involvement on radical technological innovation in small and medium-sized family firms (family SMEs). This approach makes a number of academic contributions and has high practical relevance. First, we reconcile the inconsistent observations about family firms in terms of radical technological innovation performance. Second, we address the call of several scholars to go beyond the mere search for individual resources that, or are supposed to, lead to competitive advantage and to investigate the idiosyncratic sources of superior dynamic capabilities and the moderating role of family involvement on radical technological innovation in family SMEs. Third, through cross-countries analysis within and between Western European and Asian countries, we aim to distinguish between context-specific (European vs. Asian) and generalizable findings. Moreover, in this way, best practices from the various contexts can be identified and shared with the business world.

01 November 2018 - 31 October 2022