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Advancing the multidimensional approach to family business professionalization

Gülçin Polat (Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey)

Journal of Family Business Management

ISSN: 2043-6238

Article publication date: 3 September 2020

Issue publication date: 21 October 2021

891

Abstract

Purpose

Although it has been implicitly or explicitly assumed that family business professionalization is indeed a multidimensional construct, there has been a tendency to confine it to the employment of nonfamily managers and delegating authority in academic research. Dekker et al. (2013) have made an impressive work in untangling the multidimensional structure of family business professionalization. This paper aims to introduce a more comprehensive multidimensional approach and a framework to understand and study family business professionalization by identifying additional dimensions.

Design/methodology/approach

The conceptual framework relies on insights derived from the literature on family business professionalization, occupational professionalism and organizational professionalism to reveal the broader multidimensionality of family business professionalization.

Findings

The proposed framework extends the definition of family business professionalization and offers additional dimensions which were grouped under five overarching headings: professionalization of management, professionalization of organizational structure, processes and operations, professionalization of family's relationship with business, professionalization of employees and professionalization of work environment and culture.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the literature by providing a wider approach for the understanding of family business professionalization. It presents a new way of thinking about family business professionalization, underlining the importance of employees and organizational culture for the professionalization process in family firms.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This paper is based on the author’s Ph.D. dissertation titled “The Effect of Professionalization of Family Businesses on Their Financial Performance” completed at Anadolu University, Turkey in 2018. The author wishes to thank her supervisor Prof. Dr. Serap Benligiray for her support throughout the Ph.D.

Citation

Polat, G. (2021), "Advancing the multidimensional approach to family business professionalization", Journal of Family Business Management, Vol. 11 No. 4, pp. 555-571. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFBM-03-2020-0020

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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