Family firms, like other businesses, must innovate to remain relevant in the marketplace. Consequently, in recent years, the topic of family firm innovation has received increased attention from scholars and professionals alike. However, although the field has made substantial progress in investigating firm-level variables, less is known about how individual decision-makers in family businesses impact innovativeness. Specifically, despite broad recognition of leaders' high levels of decision autonomy in family business, limited studies have explored the effect of family firm leader individual differences on firm innovativeness.
Drawing on Upper Echelons Theory, this research contends that the dark personality traits (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) of these leaders relate to various socioemotional wealth importance dimensions (SEWi), including family prominence, family continuity, and family enrichment. It also argues that, by prioritizing particular SEWi dimensions, leaders either positively or negatively influence firm innovativeness. As such, SEWi acts as a mediator between leader dark traits and firm innovativeness.
","abstract_html":"<p>Family firms, like other businesses, must innovate to remain relevant in the marketplace. Consequently, in recent years, the topic of family firm innovation has received increased attention from scholars and professionals alike. However, although the field has made substantial progress in investigating firm-level variables, less is known about how individual decision-makers in family businesses impact innovativeness. Specifically, despite broad recognition of leaders' high levels of decision autonomy in family business, limited studies have explored the effect of family firm leader individual differences on firm innovativeness. </p> <p>Drawing on Upper Echelons Theory, this research contends that the dark personality traits (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) of these leaders relate to various socioemotional wealth importance dimensions (SEWi), including family prominence, family continuity, and family enrichment. It also argues that, by prioritizing particular SEWi dimensions, leaders either positively or negatively influence firm innovativeness. As such, SEWi acts as a mediator between leader dark traits and firm innovativeness.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kolinski, Marek"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Management","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Business Administration","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["James Meurs","Bart Debicki"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-06-29T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-06-29T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:44:06Z","subjects":["Personality","Dark Triad","Innovation","Family Firms","SEW","Socioemotional Wealth","Leadership","Business","Business Administration, Management, and Operations","Organizational Behavior and Theory"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/phdba_etd/31","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["James Meurs","Bart Debicki"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kolinski, Marek"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2028-07-10T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Business Administration"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Management"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Personality","Dark Triad","Innovation","Family Firms","SEW","Socioemotional Wealth","Leadership","Business","Business Administration, Management, and Operations","Organizational Behavior and Theory"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/phdba_etd/31"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Family firms, like other businesses, must innovate to remain relevant in the marketplace. Consequently, in recent years, the topic of family firm innovation has received increased attention from scholars and professionals alike. However, although the field has made substantial progress in investigating firm-level variables, less is known about how individual decision-makers in family businesses impact innovativeness. Specifically, despite broad recognition of leaders' high levels of decision autonomy in family business, limited studies have explored the effect of family firm leader individual differences on firm innovativeness.
Drawing on Upper Echelons Theory, this research contends that the dark personality traits (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) of these leaders relate to various socioemotional wealth importance dimensions (SEWi), including family prominence, family continuity, and family enrichment. It also argues that, by prioritizing particular SEWi dimensions, leaders either positively or negatively influence firm innovativeness. As such, SEWi acts as a mediator between leader dark traits and firm innovativeness.
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Drawing on Upper Echelons Theory, this research contends that the dark personality traits (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) of these leaders relate to various socioemotional wealth importance dimensions (SEWi), including family prominence, family continuity, and family enrichment. It also argues that, by prioritizing particular SEWi dimensions, leaders either positively or negatively influence firm innovativeness. As such, SEWi acts as a mediator between leader dark traits and firm innovativeness.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/phdba_etd/31"],"dc:subject":["Personality","Dark Triad","Innovation","Family Firms","SEW","Socioemotional Wealth","Leadership","Business","Business Administration, Management, and Operations","Organizational Behavior and Theory"],"dc:title":["FAMILY FIRM INNOVATION: THE ROLE OF LEADER DARK TRIAD PERSONALITY AND SOCIOEMOTIONAL WEALTH IMPORTANCE"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Business Administration"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Management"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:44:06Z"}