PURPOSE: The paper investigates whether the leader’s digital innovativeness is directly and indirectly associated with a family firm’s digital innovation activities. METHODOLOGY: The study was conducted on a sample of Polish family firms. In total, 501 self-declared family businesses that represent the SME sector were completed. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to capture underlying relationships between latent constructs and to verify hypotheses. FINDINGS: The findings indicate that the leader’s digital innovativeness has a significant impact on the digital innovation activities of family firms. However, the achievement of these outcomes depends on the existence of complementary organizational factors, including IT capabilities, employee digital competencies, and a strong digital culture. These results emphasize the interconnected relationship between the leader’s innovativeness and organizational resources in facilitating digital transformation within family businesses. IMPLICATIONS: This research highlights the necessity for family-owned businesses to invest in leadership development programs that foster digital innovativeness, enabling leaders to effectively navigate digital transformation and enhance the company’s overall resilience. Additionally, cultivating a supportive digital culture—through collaboration, advanced digital tools, and an innovation-driven mindset—ensures that the entire organisation aligns with digital transformation goals, ultimately driving long-term competitiveness. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: This paper contributes to the literature on family firms by presenting the association between leader’s digital innovativeness and digital innovation activities in family firms. We offer new evidence for the upper echelons theory by demonstrating the impact of the leader’s digital innovativeness on digital innovation activities.

Objective: This article aims to examine how various dimensions of family social capital (FSC) impact the economic performance of small and medium-sized family firms in Poland. Research Design & Methods: This study employs a quantitative research design. I collected data from a sample of 196 family businesses. Structural modelling methods served to analyse the relationships between structural, cognitive, and relational dimensions of FSC and economic performance. Findings: The main empirical results indicate that cognitive dimension of FSC which includes shared identity, shared vision, and shared goals have a significant positive impact on the economic performance of family firms. Implications & Recommendations: It is crucial for family business managers to actively create opportunities for shared experiences among family business members and build a common cognitive foundation. It is also recommended to establish effective communication channels to ensure the development and maintenance of shared meanings and interpretations and development and acceptance of common goals. Advisory services and policymakers should highlight the benefits derived from strong social capital and recommend strategies to strengthen the cognitive dimension of FSC. Contribution & Value Added: The novelty of this article lies in the applying multidimensional FSC framework in the context of Polish family businesses. Since the research about family business social capital is treated as one of its unique resources, there is a scarce of studies how this resource works in the context of transitional economies such as Poland, and they are mainly theoretical (Popczyk, 2017) or qualitative (i.e. Marja & nacute;ski et al., 2019). This context is especially significant as many of these businesses are undergoing generational transfers for the first time now, leading to distinctive internal dynamics. Adopting the analytical method outlined by Carr (2011), this research implements a quantitative framework to analyse the FSC effects on the performance of family firm.

Badania zrealizowane w ramach projektu „Zrównoważony rozwój przedsiębiorstw rodzinnych – rekomendowane kierunki i sposoby oddziaływania” pozwoliły zgromadzić obszerny zbiór informacji audio, video, notatek i transkrypcji. Pomimo semistrukturyzowanej formuły dyskusji moderujący pozwalali na dosyć dużą swobodę wypowiedzi, uzupełnianie badanej problematyki o wątki oboczne, wyrażanie opinii, osądów i wartościowanie różnych aspektów rzeczywistości społecznej i ekonomicznej. Analiza zebranego materiału pozwoliła na wyodrębnienie dziesięciu obszarów problemowych. Przede wszystkim skupiono się na tym, dlaczego przedsiębiorstwa rodzinne w nierównym stopniu koncentrują się na wymiarach ekonomicznym, społecznym i środowiskowym zrównoważonego rozwoju. Największy wpływ na ten stan rzeczy ma prymat kwestii ekonomicznych nad środowiskowymi i społecznymi. Dopiero rynkowa stabilizacja pozwala zaangażować się w innych obszarach. Jest to istotne zwłaszcza na początkowym etapie istnienia firmy, kiedy dopiero powstają fundamenty jej długoterminowego rozwoju, a nadrzędną rolę odgrywa zaspokojenie potrzeb rodziny. Nie bez znaczenia pozostaje wpływ bliższego i dalszego otoczenia przedsiębiorstwa oraz regulatorów, kreujących (lub nie) klimat sprzyjający temu, by organizacja zaczęła wdrażać koncepcję zrównoważonego rozwoju. Zdaniem firm rodzinnych działania w tym kierunku, zwłaszcza środowiskowe, częściowo zależą od regulacji; mogą też być konsekwencją stopniowego wzrostu świadomości, jak ważne są zachowania prospołeczne i proekologiczne. Dla tych przedsiębiorstw niektóre aktywności i zachowania postrzegane jako zorientowane na zrównoważony rozwój są naturalną praktyką biznesową lub składową kultury organizacyjnej. Warto zwrócić uwagę na proekologiczne i prospołeczne postawy przedstawicieli młodszych generacji – sukcesorów. Mają oni większą świadomość, są otwarci na świat, utrzymują interakcje ze środowiskiem rówieśniczym i wyznają pewne wartości, a w konsekwencji zastanawiają się nad tym, w jakim świecie przyjdzie im żyć i funkcjonować za kilka dekad. Wydają się naturalnymi sprzymierzeńcami zmian polegających na implementacji działań zorientowanych na zrównoważony rozwój oraz minimalizację negatywnego wpływu firmy na otaczającą rzeczywistość. Choć często poglądy ich oraz nestorów bardzo się różnią, z czasem ich rola w przedsiębiorstwach będzie rosła. Stopniowe przejmowanie przez nich władzy będzie się przekładało na możliwość dokonywania realnych wyborów w różnych obszarach, zarówno czysto biznesowych, jak i wspierających działalność rynkową.

Family businesses are often seen as key players in efforts to increase sustainability due to their transgenerational focus. Researchers have reported that companies strengthen their commitment to sustainability as they consolidate their entrepreneurial commitment, but the existing knowledge about drivers of family firms' sustainability choices is limited. This study sought to fill related research gaps by exploring the relationships between five entrepreneurial orientation (EO) components-risk taking, innovativeness, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness and autonomy-and family businesses' sustainability initiatives. These companies comprise a unique research context in terms of the EO-sustainability link due to their focus on continuity and propensity to create value for future generations. In addition, women increasingly hold leadership positions within family businesses, and studies have categorised both entrepreneurship and sustainability as gendered processes. Thus, this research also explored female chief executive officers' (CEOs) moderating role as corporate change agents who influence the EO-sustainability initiatives relationship. Analyses were conducted using primary data collected from 195 privately held family firms in Poland. The results indicate that only one EO component (innovativeness) is significantly associated with family businesses' sustainability initiatives and that CEO gender moderates the links between two EO components (proactiveness and autonomy) and sustainability. Thus, this article contributes to the management literature by exploring the role of women leaders as change agents for sustainability in family firms. Other significant theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Family businesses are often seen as key players in efforts to increase sustainability due to their transgenerational focus. Researchers have reported that companies strengthen their commitment to sustainability as they consolidate their entrepreneurial commitment, but the existing knowledge about drivers of family firms' sustainability choices is limited. This study sought to fill related research gaps by exploring the relationships between five entrepreneurial orientation (EO) components—risk taking, innovativeness, proactiveness, competitive aggressiveness and autonomy—and family businesses' sustainability initiatives. These companies comprise a unique research context in terms of the EO-sustainability link due to their focus on continuity and propensity to create value for future generations. In addition, women increasingly hold leadership positions within family businesses, and studies have categorised both entrepreneurship and sustainability as gendered processes. Thus, this research also explored female chief executive officers' (CEOs) moderating role as corporate change agents who influence the EO-sustainability initiatives relationship. Analyses were conducted using primary data collected from 195 privately held family firms in Poland. The results indicate that only one EO component (innovativeness) is significantly associated with family businesses' sustainability initiatives and that CEO gender moderates the links between two EO components (proactiveness and autonomy) and sustainability. Thus, this article contributes to the management literature by exploring the role of women leaders as change agents for sustainability in family firms. Other significant theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Nowadays financialization seems to be an inherent and obvious phenomenon and it appears to have infected all industrialized economies. Within general phenomenon of financialization, three areas should be indicated: financialization as a system of capital accumulation, financialization of business entities and financialization of every day-life. In our paper we try to investigate family businesses that are unique due to the overlap of family and business subsystems in one entity. More specifically, we undertake to find out whether intertwining of family values with business objectives can influence the level of absorption of various finance instruments that are offered on nowadays financial market. Analysis revealed a few statistically significant relationships between perception of family firm objectives and absorption of basic and sophisticated finance instruments. It is the first to suggest, that family firms which are intrinsically-oriented, i.e. those more willing to keep independence or to keep long term survival, are less prone to absorb sophisticated finance instruments, e.g. private equity, venture capital, hybrid capital or they are less keen to become a public company. On the other hand, if a family firm is more oriented towards risk minimisation or keeping long term growth, then it is also more open for absorption of advanced finance instruments.

PurposeSurvivability capital is a unique resource resulting from the “familiness” constituting an inherent feature of family firms. Familiness represents the ability of family members to reinforce the financial and non-financial resources of businesses facing threats to their economic existence. This work proposes and examines various dimensions of the survivability capital construct, verifying whether family firms expecting deterioration of their economic situation or problems with survival due to the COVID-19 crisis can mobilise sufficient capital to survive.Design/methodology/approachThis article provides empirical evidence based on a cross-sectional online survey of 167 Polish family firms, conducted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The method (scale) of survivability capital measurement was elaborated and validated using principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Next, the mobilisation of the different dimensions of survivability capital was examined using PLS-SEM modelling.FindingsThe survivability capital of family firms is composed of two dimensions: internal (based on directly involved family members) and external (based on not directly involved family members). Family firms facing crisis-induced deterioration of the economic situation engage its internal component. Subsequently, family firms forecasting decreasing probability of survival during a crisis try to engage both the internal and the external components of survivability capital. Such behaviour is in line with the resource-based view as well as with the sustainable family business theory.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the first studies to examine analytically the survivability capital construct. While previous studies mentioned the existence of survivability capital, this study attempts to introduce its various dimensions and test the mobilisation of survivability capital during the COVID-19 crisis.

Theoretical background: Family businesses are a specific group of enterprises in which family bonds play a vital role in determining the economic and noneconomic goals of the business. The subject literature emphasises the long-term focus of family businesses which is on continuity, futurity and perseverance. During the COVID-19 crisis, unique family business traits can allow these entities to access useful resources and take positive actions such as forging strong networking relationships, tapping into local idiosyncratic knowledge, exercising rapid response, having flexibility and exercising trust with caution. This suggests that family businesses might also react to the COVID-19 crisis in their own distinctive ways using their unique attributes. Purpose of the article: In this paper we will show how family businesses deal with coronavirus restrictions and what measures they undertook during this challenging period. The paper is organised around four research questions. Research methods: This research was conducted using a sample of 167 family businesses. Primary data related to reactions of family businesses facing the COVID-19 crisis were collected in April and at the beginning of May 2020. To achieve the goals of this study, we carried out such research methods and procedures as fractal analyses, descriptive statistics, statistical comparison of means and subjective classification of the factors. Main findings: For family businesses, a sudden fall in revenue was a common result of COVID-19 restrictions in the Polish economy. In the case of the majority of surveyed family fims, revenues fell by 44%, and in the next 2 to 3 months businesses expected additional decreases of 39.8%. More than 65% declared a stable level of employment, but more than a quarter of surveyed family firms showed an average dip in firm employment of 15.7% and expected further job losses at around 13.1%. To protect businesses against the negative effects of the pandemic, surveyed family firms undertook several ad hoc measures. We divided the analysed reactions to COVID into three groups: proactive, neutral and progressive. We noticed that the most common measures were those marked as “neutral”, or those which neither expanded nor retrenched the business in the short term. This observation suggests that family businesses might choose “persevering” as their first strategic response to the sudden crisis. We also found that “proactive” measures were undertaken in family businesses which evaluated their probability of survival as higher than businesses that indicated “neutral” or “defensive” reactions. In addition, we isolated statistically significant differences in family fims’ average probability of survival among the firms which introduced particular neutral and defensive measures and those which did not. On this basis we can conclude that the lower the perceived probability of survival is, the more retrenchment-oriented types of measures begin to be taken. Additionally, it should be mentioned that so-called anti-crisis shields implemented by the Polish government were assessed as inadequately supportive of business entities’ survival.

Purpose: The study aims to build a typology of family businesses with relatively short experience in the free-market economy. The typology is based on the goal preferences of the family businesses. Methodology: The research is based on empirical data from Polish medium-sized and large enterprises, collected in 2014. Using cluster analysis and variance analysis, we identified four types of family enterprises based on their goal perceptions and tested the differences among them. Results: The article distinguishes and characterizes four types of family enterprises: "business first, family second," "only business," "immature," and "family first, business second." Originality/value: The proposed typology is similar to that presented in the subject literature. Nevertheless, our contribution resides in the discovery that even if family and business goals are integrated in the enterprise, one of the systems will be dominant. Moreover, enterprises that only prioritize family goals were absent in the explored data set.

Pożądane cechy i umiejętności dobrego przedsiębiorcy mogą się różnić w zależności od organizacji, w którą jest zaangażowany. W przedsiębiorstwach rodzinnych, w których spotykają się co najmniej dwa systemy: rodzina i przedsiębiorstwo – pożądane cechy przedsiębiorcy mogą być zupełnie inne niż w przypadku pozostałych przedsiębiorstw. Głównym celem artykułu było ustalenie, które z tych cech są lepiej postrzegane przez firmy rodzinne, a które – przez firmy nierodzinne. Wyniki pokazują, że dla przedsiębiorców rodzinnych cechy związane z utrzymaniem długoterminowego przetrwania są ważniejsze niż dla firm nierodzinnych. Co więcej, umiejętności, które mogą być przydatne dla rozwoju kapitału społecznego (np. umiejętności negocjacyjne i tworzenie relacji biznesowych), są ważniejsze w firmach nierodzinnych. Ocena wyników uzyskanych w tym badaniu wskazuje, że w celu utrzymania przewagi konkurencyjnej firmy rodzinne nie powinny bagatelizować roli umiejętności społecznych i powinny być bardziej otwarte na podejmowanie ryzyka, ponieważ z czasem może się to okazać jedyną drogą do zapewnienia im przetrwania na rynku.

Striving for sustainable development of society and economy is a concept that for decades has been the subject of scientific inquiry. Additionally, the sustainable development concept is based on three main and overlapping pillars (social, economic and environmental). Maintaining balance between them is only way to achieve at least acceptable effects of sustainable development. Analyses in this field have focused on identification of boosters and inhibitors of sustainable development. Taking into consideration this context in our paper, the analyses were devoted to identifying whether a smaller gender gap level (e.g. incentives, political engagement, and education) aligns with higher results in obtaining sustainable development goals. Three hypotheses were formulated that state that mitigating the gender gap supports the social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainable development. Indeed, the results of our study show that in particular, a smaller gender gap related to educational attainment and political empowerment of females is connected positively with higher levels of sustainable development of the three pillars in specific countries. The final conclusion is that diminishment of inequality between females and males supports harmonious and sustainable development of societies in social, economic and environmental dimensions.

In the paper the issue of the reciprocal impact of both first and second generation of the family on the family businesses was taken into consideration. The main attempt was to investigate whether in the companies in which 'generational shadow' effect exists, inheritors are able to have a stab at the company functioning. Hence the aim of this paper is to identify a potential impact of the second generation on the aspects of functioning of family businesses. The differences in the average perception of family business purposes were statistically analysed in two groups of companies: one - with a presence of only founders' generation and the other with a presence of two generations among company's owners. The main conclusion which was that a presence of the second generation of the family in the owners and managerial staff structure modifies partly the perception of long term objectives of family business functioning. On the other hand, it is necessary to reject the assumption that the presence of second generation of the family in the owners and managerial staff structure impairs the perception of objectives directed towards the family and family values. The results reveal that despite of the 'generational shadow' effect, the existence of the successors' generation might lead to particular changes in company's functioning and perception of various processes in family businesses.

Striving for sustainable development of society and economy is a concept that for decades has been the subject of scientific inquiry. Additionally, the sustainable development concept is based on three main and overlapping pillars (social, economic and environmental). Maintaining balance between them is only way to achieve at least acceptable effects of sustainable development. Analyses in this field have focused on identification of boosters and inhibitors of sustainable development. Taking into consideration this context in our paper, the analyses were devoted to identifying whether a smaller gender gap level (e.g. incentives, political engagement, and education) aligns with higher results in obtaining sustainable development goals. Three hypotheses were formulated that state that mitigating the gender gap supports the social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainable development. Indeed, the results of our study show that in particular, a smaller gender gap related to educational attainment and political empowerment of females is connected positively with higher levels of sustainable development of the three pillars in specific countries. The final conclusion is that diminishment of inequality between females and males supports harmonious and sustainable development of societies in social, economic and environmental dimensions.

Sustainable development is a concept which is diffusing through many dimensions of peoples' life. As consumers, people can make their choices with regard to a sustainability idea. It is possible, mainly due to green entrepreneurship. Among UE members we can indicate those countries which are more engaged in ecopreneurship, and those which are less interested or ignore this issue. The main question of our research is why some UE countries outperform the others in green entrepreneurship development? We believe that green entrepreneurship requires integration of all three pillars of sustainable development (economic, environmental and social). Only the integration of all three components can give the most satisfactory results. In our research we state that economic support from government and well-educated society create good conditions for green entrepreneurship. On this basis we put forward two hypotheses: enterprises operating in richer countries are more green-oriented and enterprises situated in countries where the society is more educated are more green-oriented.

Businesses are an important part of economic development in a region. Through business activity, new innovations are created which accelerate economic growth and structural change. It should also be said that entrepreneurship has a strong influence on the competitiveness of the area in which it operates and shapes the professional activity of the population. In addition, entrepreneurship absorbs development factors that are specific to the region such as natural resources, human resources, etc. Hence, it is important to build entrepreneurial attitudes that influence the establishment of enterprises. The main goal of this paper is to express the importance of creating an entrepreneurial attitude in the Lubelskie Voivodship. In the paper, we discuss how this attitude can be beneficial for creating businesses and thus for regional development. To achieve the main goal, we used data collected in April and May 2016 among small and medium enterprises operating in the Lubelskie Voivodship. After rejecting the large enterprises, incomplete responses, and those that did not respond, the research sample consisted of 186 entities. Using statistical methods, such as regression models and statistical tests we found out that features such as creativity, ambition, hard work and self-confidence are the ones that were recognized by entrepreneurs in the Lubelskie Voivodship as the most desirable. In order to improve the situation of the region by boosting the number of established enterprises, the authorities should take steps to build an entrepreneurial attitude based on these characteristics. Results indicate that self-discipline is not a desirable feature among potential entrepreneurs. It turns out that according to the opinion of entrepreneurs, the ability to control oneself is not a useful feature when you want to run your business. Likewise, risk-taking propensity is also an undesirable characteristic. It should be noted, however, that the research made for the purpose of the paper was conducted among entrepreneurs who decided to start their own company. Their answers give a better picture of the traits which a potential entrepreneur should have. So, the results of these studies are an interesting starting point for further in-depth research.

Cel – Celem artykułu jest dokonanie porównania sytuacji przedsiębiorstw z gospodarek byłego bloku wschodniego, będących członkami UE, w zakresie wsparcia sektora MSP poprzez zamówienia publiczne oraz wskazanie lidera, który byłby źródłem proponowanych rekomendacji dla Polski. Metodologia badania – W artykule zostały wykorzystane dane z Arkuszy Informacyjnych Programu Small Business Act z 2016 r. Ze względu na dużą różnorodność danych proponowanych do opisu sytuacji wybranych do analizy państw w zakresie zamówień publicznych konieczne było przeprowadzenie ich normalizacji. Zastosowano metodę unitaryzacji zerowanej, która pozwoliła na stworzenie rankingu krajów i wyłonienie lidera. Wynik – W wyniku analizy przeprowadzonej wśród wybranych krajów zdiagnozowano, że liderem w zakresie wspierania sektora MSP poprzez zamówienia publiczne jest Łotwa. Po przeprowadzeniu dogłębnego przeglądu praktyk stosowanych na łotewskim rynku zamówień publicznych wydano rekomendacje dla Polski. Oryginalność/wartość – W literaturze przedmiotu brakuje opracowań łączących tematykę wspierania sektora MSP za pośrednictwem zamówień publicznych z zagadnieniami dotyczącymi gospodarek byłego bloku wschodniego, które przeszły proces akcesyjny do UE. Poniższy artykuł stanowi próbę kompilacji tych zagadnień.