El títol complet és: Is Women’s Family Involvement in the Board a Catalyst for Innovation? The Role of Socioemotional Wealth

Family firms, especially the small and medium-sized (family SMEs), increasingly involve family women in their board of directors. Yet, the question of whether their inclusion catalyzes innovation remains unanswered. This is regrettable given that family SMEs are the most ubiquitous type of entrepreneurial organization worldwide and that innovation plays a crucial role in fostering long-term competitive advantage. We address this question by drawing on the gender literature and on family business research. Our analyses of a unique survey-based sample of 287 Belgian family SMEs reveal that family female directors have a positive effect on family SME innovation in terms of R&D intensity. However, this relationship depends on the contingency effects exerted by some socioemotional wealth dimensions, underscoring that reality is more variegated than previously thought.