Women at the Helm: Leadership, Social Performance, and Socioemotional Wealth in Family Firms

Mahmud M.A.M.; Dagnino C.C.; Tamariz P.G. · The Entrepreneurial Narratives of Women Driving Economic and Social Transformation in Latin America (2025) · DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3373-3511-7.ch003

Resumen

This study examines how Socioemotional Wealth (SEW) dimensions-family control, identification, and emotional attachment-moderate the effects of CEO gender and leadership style (transformational, charismatic, authoritarian) on social performance in family firms. Using SPGC-KPMG Global Family Business Survey 2021 data, and comparing Latin America, Europe, and Asia, the analysis shows that female transformational leadership is associated with higher social performance when identification is high; female authoritarian leadership improves social performance when emotional attachment is strong; and female charismatic leadership can enhance social performance under high identification, although its influence is tempered by family control. Overall, family control tends to constrain the effectiveness of all three styles. The paper extends SEW theory by integrating gendered leadership mechanisms and offers governance implications for balancing SEW preservation with support for diverse female leadership profiles.

Instituciones: Universidad de Piura