Purpose-The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between family influence, measured through power, experience and culture (F-PEC) and family business (FB) performance. Performance is measured from a financial and non-financial perspective. Design/methodology/approach-Empirical study using the quantitative method and data collected through a questionnaire, answered by 169 Portuguese family firms. The survey design was based on prior research of FB performance and the F-PEC questionnaire. The exploratory factor analysis and multiple linear regression models are used. Findings-The results indicate a negative relationship between experience and financial performance, a positive association between a culture of family commitment and performance (financial and noneconomic goals), and a positive relationship between a culture of family values and non-economic goals. The results show the importance of agreement between the firm and the family goals. Family influence on FB performance cannot be seen only from a positive (stewardship theory) or a negative (agency theory) perspective. Originality/value-Commitment increases financial performance and the achievement of non-economic goals (perpetuity and family assets). It is important to study how a culture of commitment leads to superior performance.

PurposeThis study examines how stewardship might mediate the influence of family ownership on firm financial performance. The authors argue that differences in financial performance may reflect not only the family's influence but also the prevalence of a stewardship-oriented culture, across varying degrees of family influence.Design/methodology/approachThe measure of family influence uses the F-PEC scale: family [F], power [P], experience [E] and culture [C]. It supports cross-firm comparisons of different levels of family influence. To capture the multidimensional nature of family influence, this study uses structural equation modelling and measures the meditating effects of stewardship.FindingsThe results reveal a mediating effect of stewardship; family firms achieve better performance when they take advantage of and encourage stewardship attitudes among owners and leaders. Factors associated with stewardship behaviour, including stewardship motivation and stewardship culture, help explain why some family firms perform better than others.Practical implicationsWhen analysing the behaviour of family firms, interested entrepreneurs, managers and consultants should acknowledge that the family's influence entails both financial and emotional capital. The survival of the family businesses depends on balancing these aspects.Originality/valueIn response to calls for research into mediators of the complex relationship between family influence and firm outcomes, this study provides a novel explanation for performance-maximizing behaviours by organizations, in which pro-organizational attitudes coexist with self-serving motives.

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