The propensity to use incentive compensation for non-family managers in SME family firms

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Esra Memili, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to use the socio-emotional wealth perspective to examine how the level of family involvement reduces the propensity to use incentives to non-family managers in small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) family firms. Design/methodology/approach – Primary data were collected from US firms. To evaluate the hypotheses, a logit model was employed on a final sample of 2,019 small family firms.Findings– Results suggest that family influence and control and intra-family transgenerational succession intentions are negatively related to the propensity to use incentives. Also, the interaction effects of family management and ownership reduce the propensity to use incentives.Originality/value– The paper’s empirical findings imply that despite their potential economic benefits, family involvement reduces the probability that incentives will be offered to non-family managers because such incentives are perceived to be inconsistent with the preservation of the family’s socioemotional wealth. Also, choices that reflect a preference for socioemotional wealth may not only be a function of decision framing and loss aversion but also by the size of the economic pay-offs that might be available. The findings suggest that non-family managers in SME family firms may be affected by a family’s preoccupation with its socioemotional endowments. Thus, the authors expect that this paper provides further avenues to explore the decisions about attaining non-economic and economic goals and other strategic issues in family firms.

Additional Information

Publication
Journal of Family Business Management
Language: English
Date: 2013
Keywords
Small to medium-sized enterprises, Family firms, Family business management, Family involvement, Nonfamily managers, Incentive compensation, United States of America

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