Socioemotional Wealth and Family Firm Performance: Economic Gains from Pursuing Noneconomic Goals

Socioemotional wealth recently emerged as an important distinguishing characteristic between family and nonfamily firms. It is used in extant literature as a theoretical framework to rationalize the behavior of protecting family interests at the expense of financial success. We present socioemotional wealth differently: as a measureable construct, conceptualized through a stewardship theory lens, with empirical support for its positive relationship with family firm financial performance. Results also show hostile environments attenuate the SEW–performance relationship, indicating that firms with high socioemotional wealth are unable to make the necessary strategic adjustments needed to enhance performance in difficult environments.