Gender diversity and innovation performance in family firms: Evidence from the Spanish manufacturing industry

Abstract

[Abstract]: Purpose: This paper provides empirical evidence for how gender diversity in top management teams and collaboration with university and technological centres lead to innovation outcomes. We review past research on these concepts and illustrate their individual and joint effects on process innovation specifically in the unique context of family firms. Study design/methodology/approach: We used a sample of 788 Spanish manufacturing family firms in 2016 and applied logistic regression models since the dependent variables are dummies. Findings: We found a positive relationship between gender-diverse top management teams, process innovation and R&D-based process innovation. Similarly, the collaboration with university technological centres is positively associated with higher innovation outcome of family firms. In addition, we also found that the presence of women in top management teams shapes the relationship between the collaboration with university technological centres and process innovation. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the research on collaborative innovation in family firms by emphasizing the collaboration with university technological centres, an external partner often ignored by this stream of literature. This research also responds to the calls for further study of the effect of the heterogeneity of the top management teams on the innovation outcome of family firms, from the perspective of the resource-based view of the firms.