Cross-functional patent management in family firms

Prior research shows that family firms differ from non-family firms with regard to intellectual property output. Yet, little is known about how family firms manage their intellectual property. This paper analyses the degree to which patent management in family firms is cross-functional. Patent management is a task that requires coordination across multiple functions in order to be fully effective. We find that in family-owned firms patent management is cross-functional to a higher degree than in non-family-owned firms. Within the group of family-owned firms, we find that family management has a positive impact on the degree to which patent management is cross-functional. We conclude that family firms are not only distinct with regard to intellectual property output but also regarding how they manage their intellectual property.