Vol. 11 No. 2 (2025)
June

Articles

The impact of social capital on the economic performance of Polish family businesses

Published 2025-06-30

  • Beata Żukowska

Beata Żukowska
Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin

Abstract

Objective: This article aims to examine how various dimensions of family social capital (FSC) impact the economic performance of small and medium-sized family firms in Poland.

Research Design & Methods: This study employs a quantitative research design. I collected data from a sample of 196 family businesses. Structural modelling methods served to analyse the relationships between structural, cognitive, and relational dimensions of FSC and economic performance.

Findings: The main empirical results indicate that cognitive dimension of FSC which includes shared identity, shared vision, and shared goals have a significant positive impact on the economic performance of family firms.

Implications & Recommendations: It is crucial for family business managers to actively create opportunities for shared experiences among family business members and build a common cognitive foundation. It is also recommended to establish effective communication channels to ensure the development and maintenance of shared meanings and interpretations and development and acceptance of common goals. Advisory services and policymakers should highlight the benefits derived from strong social capital and recommend strategies to strengthen the cognitive dimension of FSC.

Contribution & Value Added: The novelty of this article lies in the applying multidimensional FSC framework in the context of Polish family businesses. Since the research about family business social capital is treated as one of its unique resources, there is a scarce of studies how this resource works in the context of transitional economies such as Poland, and they are mainly theoretical (Popczyk, 2017) or qualitative (i.e. Marjański et al., 2019). This context is especially significant as many of these businesses are undergoing generational transfers for the first time now, leading to distinctive internal dynamics. Adopting the analytical method outlined by Carr (2011), this research implements a quantitative framework to analyse the FSC effects on the performance of family firm.

Keywords

family business, social capital, performances, PLS-SEM, transitional economy

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Author Biography

Beata Żukowska

PhD in Economics and Finance, Assistant Professor at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin (Poland). Her research interests include family businesses and their unique resources, strategies, and financial logic. She is also interested in corporate governance issues and business digital transformation.

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