Overcoming the Ability-Willingness Paradox in Small Family Firms’ Collaborations

The Springer website posted a study which noted that open innovation constitutes a central strategy for small firms in general and for family firms. However, not all small firms are equally able to govern these collaborations. There are significant differences in the ways small family- and non-family firms innovate and collaborate with external partners, as well as the reasons why they do so. Our research demonstrated that the extent to which collaboration with external partners can be managed may relate to specific firm characteristics. We also showed that family firms’ unique characteristics influence partner selection and the ability to govern collaborations with external partners, and thus make small family firms more likely to achieve an innovation output premium when collaborating with customers and within regional proximity.

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