Title: Advancing small family business studies: beginning evidence of psychological capital for approaching creativity

Authors: Dianne H.B. Welsh; Julia Vincent Ponroy; Thomas Niemand

Addresses: Bryan School of Business and Economics, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA ' IPAG Business School, 84, Bvd Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris, France ' Institute of Management and Economics, Clausthal University of Technology, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany

Abstract: Scholars have widely investigated innovation in family firms, but creativity in these firms remains under explored. As a first step, we propose to measure creativity in family firms by applying a proxy known as psychological capital (PsyCap). PsyCap has been found to be highly reliable and valid in multiple industries and service organisations around the world, but it has not been empirically applied to family firms so far. PsyCap has been found, both its individual components (hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, or the 'HERO' within) and overall, to be a predictor of creative performance. Based on a study conducted in a highly creative family firm, our findings show that organisational PsyCap (OPC) can be reliably measured in family firms and are linked to trust and overall family firm member positivity, important components for positive organisational behaviour. This study offers a first step in measuring creativity in FFs with PsyCap as a proxy. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Keywords: creativity; family firms; psychological capital; PsyCap; positive organisational behaviour; POB.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2022.124462

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2022 Vol.46 No.3, pp.376 - 393

Received: 27 Apr 2019
Accepted: 23 Aug 2019
Published online: 27 Jul 2022 *

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