Intergenerational succession and digital transformation in family firms: a socioemotional wealth perspective

Purpose Intergenerational succession is a critical process in the life cycle of family firms, yet its impact on digital transformation remains underexplored. Drawing on the socioemotional wealth perspective, this study aims to examine the impact of intergenerational succession on digital transformation in family firms and explore the moderating effects of family involvement (i.e. family involvement in ownership and management) and operating status (i.e. bankruptcy risk and aspiration-performance gap). Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on a panel dataset of Chinese family firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2012 to 2022. Panel regression models are employed to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results show that intergenerational succession negatively influences digital transformation. Furthermore, the study identifies two critical factors that moderate this effect. The first is family involvement. When the controlling family is more involved in ownership and management, the negative effect of intergenerational succession on digital transformation is mitigated. The second is operating status. Bankruptcy risk strengthens this negative effect, while the aspiration-performance gap weakens it. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to explore the relationship between intergenerational succession and digital transformation. This study reveals the negative impact of intergenerational succession on digital transformation and explains it through the lens of socioemotional wealth, thereby contributing to the succession and digital transformation literature. Furthermore, it advances understanding of the contextual factors that shape family firms’ digital transformation by identifying the moderating roles of family involvement and operating status.