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URN to cite this document: urn:nbn:de:bvb:703-epub-8945-6
Title data
Bouncken, Ricarda B. ; Covin, Jeffrey G. ; Schmitt, Florian:
Family firms' digital transformation : pathways and tensions.
In: Small Business Economics.
(13 November 2025)
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ISSN 1573-0913
DOI der Verlagsversion: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-025-01146-8
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Abstract
How do family firms navigate digital transformation? Drawing on 25 interviews across ten cases (2018–2024), we identify three tension fields that shape the scale and pace of digitalization: internal development vs. external sourcing, reliance on trusted partners vs. opening new ties, and the diffusion of family control. We theorize five propositions showing how familiness conditions collaboration strategies, risk posture, and implementation speed. Long-term orientation and strong ties enable committed, tailored investments, yet can narrow openness to novel external knowledge; selective boundary opening mitigates this trade-off. Our model integrates socioemotional wealth with digital innovation, clarifying when familial control supports or suppresses experimentation and how learning unfolds over time. We outline implications for entrepreneurs, educators, and policy. The paper contributes to research on family-business digitalization and offers actionable guidance for designing balanced transformation pathways.
Further data
| Item Type: | Article in a journal |
|---|---|
| DDC Subjects: | 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics |
| Institutions of the University: | Faculties > Faculty of Law, Business and Economics > Department of Business Administration > Chair Business Administration VI - Strategic Management and Organization > Chair Business Administration VI - Strategic Management and Organization - Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ricarda Bouncken Faculties Faculties > Faculty of Law, Business and Economics Faculties > Faculty of Law, Business and Economics > Department of Business Administration Faculties > Faculty of Law, Business and Economics > Department of Business Administration > Chair Business Administration VI - Strategic Management and Organization |
| Language: | English |
| Originates at UBT: | Yes |
| URN: | urn:nbn:de:bvb:703-epub-8945-6 |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Mar 2026 13:55 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Mar 2026 13:55 |
| URI: | https://epub.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/8945 |
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