Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to identify the relationship between family firms’ innovation output and the continuous knowledge development of owner-managers. Moreover, the study aims to investigate the effect of the level of owner-managers’ educational background on family firms’ innovation.Design/methodology/approach: The data originate from a primary research conducted in Poland. A log-linear analysis was used to verify the hypotheses.Findings: The findings demonstrate that the positive relationship between the higher levels of education of owner-managers and the innovation output of family firms does not exist. However, the innovativeness of family firms is determined by the continuous development of owner-managers’ knowledge. Family firms whose owner-managers continuously expand their knowledge introduce significantly more product and marketing innovations. This relationship appears independent of firm’s size, type of business activity and owner-managers’ educational level.Practical implications: Understanding how the continuous development of owner-managers’ knowledge influence the firm’s innovation output is potentially valuable for managers of family firms. The findings offer also practical suggestions for policymakers on how to support structures that aim to enhance innovation in family enterprises.Originality/value: This study contributes to the family business literature by presenting quantitative findings describing links between family firms’ innovation outputs and continuous knowledge development of owner-managers. Thus, the study broadens knowledge on factors determining innovation of family firms and influencing family business heterogeneity.

Motivating to perform remains a very inspiring field of scientific studies. In spite of extensive research in this field, some areas, of niche nature, that require exploration can be identified. Motivating the managers is one of such areas, less popular but of tremendous importance in the process of managing a contemporary organisation. This article is theoretical and empirical. It was written to present the original results of empirical research focused on assessment of the motivation impact of 47 financial and non-financial tools by several hundred Polish managers. The research tool used in the study process was the questionnaire prepared by the author of this paper. Key preferences of the group of employees are an important source of information required in the process of optimising the effectiveness of managing the human capital and an entire organisation.

Przedmiotem dociekań naukowych podjętych w prezentowanym artykule jest przedstawienie wyników autorskich badań empirycznych, poświęconych realizacji dwóch wiodących celów badawczych. Po pierwsze, dokonaniu oceny typu istniejącego oraz pożądanego modelu kultury organizacyjnej na podstawie opinii wybranej losowo grupy polskich pracowników. Po drugie, zdiagnozowaniu czy deklarowany przez badanych, obecny model kultury organizacyjnej ma wpływ na rodzaj i skalę występujących w ich organizacjach zjawisk patologicznych. Uczestnikami badań było 664 polskich respondentów. W procesie badawczym wykorzystano dwa narzędzia: Organisational Culture Assessment Instrument- autorstwa K.S. Camerona i R.E. Quinna oraz autorski kwestionariusz do oceny rodzaju i skali występowania zjawisk patologicznych w miejscu pracy. Zebrany materiał faktograficzny pozwolił sformułować dwa ważne wnioski. Po pierwsze, jak wynika z badań, w opinii pracowników istniejący model kultury organizacyjnej znacznie odbiega od modelu pożądanego. Po drugie, istnieje istotna statystycznie zależność między typem modelu kultury organizacyjnej a skalą i typologią wybranych zjawisk patologicznych w miejscu pracy. Jak wykazały badania modelem kultury organizacyjnej o najbardziej patologicznym charakterze okazał się model kultury rynku.

Economy operates in a broader social system, composed of households and enterprises but also by all institutions created by people. Law and politics is created and introduced in institutions in parallel to educational, administrative activities as well as any other social activities, including those related to the natural environment we live in. These institutions operate thanks to the social capital i.e. interconnected human resources. The quality of the social capital is dependent on mutual trust and relations in the society. For this reason, social capital is of key importance for sustainable development, both as a controller of the impact of the economy on the environment as well as the basis for the future development. The environment evolves continuously, there are rapidly changing economic processes and, in consequence, their impact on the environment is changing rapidly, tool. This brings some specific challenges to the resource and quality of human knowledge and the competence level of the human capital, as the only tool for a possible reduction of all imperfections.