Beyond the Family Firm: Reasserting the Influence of the Family Institutional Logic Across Organizations

Abstract

In this paper, we draw attention to the influence of the institutional logic of family upon a broad range of organizations, and argue that their significance has not been fully realized within the realm of institutional theory and research. Drawing on extant literature, publicly available documents, and interview data, we highlight the prominence of the family logic in the Italian legal sector, where there is a dearth of family firms and the existence of a competing professional logic that interacts with the familial logic. Our research suggests that, even in a setting where logics of capitalism and profession dominate, the organizational form and practices of Italian law firms are significantly influenced by the family logic: firms remain small, resistant to mergers and forms of internationalization, and have successfully resisted the encroachment of invading foreign legal practices. We discuss the significance of the family logic and its manifestations in organizations, and map out future research directions about how multiple logics interact and reinforce each other in national settings.

Citation

Fairclough, S. and Micelotta, E.R. (2013), "Beyond the Family Firm: Reasserting the Influence of the Family Institutional Logic Across Organizations", Lounsbury, M. and Boxenbaum, E. (Ed.) Institutional Logics in Action, Part B (Research in the Sociology of Organizations, Vol. 39 Part B), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 63-98. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0733-558X(2013)0039AB016