Board composition in family and non-family innovative businesses

Abstract

This paper aims to contribute to the literature on corporate governance and innovation, providing empirical evidence with respect to the evolution of board composition and innovation over time, comparing between family and non-family businesses. Data were collected from 86 Spanish companies belonging to innovative sectors during the period 2003 to 2014. The results show a significant difference between family and non-family firms in terms of their board composition, indicating bigger boards and a higher proportion of independent directors in the case of non-family businesses. With regards to external directors, the results also show that their proportion has been increasing in the last years especially in family companies, reaching similar levels to non-family ones. Finally, in terms of gender, its diversity has been also increasing in both types of companies, but more in family businesses, equalling or even overcoming gender diversity in non-family businesses. Non-significant differences were detected in the composition of the boards over time, with the only exception of gender diversity, which shows a significant growth. This descriptive study contributes to the inconclusive research on how is the composition and structure of the board in innovative companies, highlighting the differences between family and non-family business