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1 – 10 of over 11000Matthew C Sonfield, Robert N Lussier and Josiane Fahed-Sreih
The purpose of this research was to compare the use of non-family-members in the higher-level management team of Arab/Islamic family businesses versus American family businesses…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research was to compare the use of non-family-members in the higher-level management team of Arab/Islamic family businesses versus American family businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
This research gathered survey data and tested the hypothesis using analysis of covariance.
Findings
American family businesses engaged the services of non-family-member managers to a statistically significant greater degree than did Arab/Islamic family businesses.
Originality/value
The research literature on Arab/Islamic entrepreneurship is very limited, and a family business study of this nature has not been previously conducted. This study furthermore challenges the common assumption that the findings generated in one specific country can usually be generalized to the broader phenomenon of family business, as it exists in most countries.
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Matthew C. Sonfield and Robert N. Lussier
The purpose of this paper is to investigate, in a multi‐country context, the inclusion of family‐member managers and non‐family‐member managers in family businesses, and the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate, in a multi‐country context, the inclusion of family‐member managers and non‐family‐member managers in family businesses, and the relationship of this variable to certain management activities, styles and characteristics.
Design/methodology/approach
This four‐country study involved survey research and correlational testing of nine hypotheses. The four countries, Croatia, France, India and the USA, provided a mixture of entrepreneurial contexts. Given limited prior research in this area, this study is exploratory and broadly focused.
Findings
There was limited support for the relationship between the percentage of non‐family‐member managers and the nine management activities, styles and characteristics studied, both between and within countries. The strongest support was for the positive relationship between the percentage of non‐family managers and the use of sophisticated financial management methods.
Research limitations/implications
Inherent in the choice of countries are some variations among the four country samples. Future research can build on these findings with more focused studies in areas that seem worthy of further analysis.
Practical implications
This study, along with further research, should allow family business owner/managers to better understand the possible impacts of bringing non‐family managers into their firms. Family businesses may not need to be concerned that their firms will lose their “familiness” if they hire non‐family managers.
Originality/value
This study begins to fill a gap in the family business literature identified by prior researchers and, as noted above, creates a base for future research and for possible practical implications for family firm practitioners.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the links among different forms of religiosity, family cohesion and ethical leadership in family firms operating in Turkey.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the links among different forms of religiosity, family cohesion and ethical leadership in family firms operating in Turkey.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted with 210 respondents working in 51 family firms operating in Istanbul. Data regarding ethical leadership perceptions were collected separately from employees (non-family member) and managers (family member), and responses were matched in firm level to investigate the relations between variables calculated separately as perceptions of managers and employees. Confirmatory factor analysis and reliability statistics were used for ascertaining the dimensionality and factor structures of the constructs. Correlation analysis, structural equation modeling and bootstrapping method were used for investigating the relationships among variables.
Findings
Results of the study demonstrated that family cohesion, intrinsic religiosity and spiritual well-being-oriented religiosity were positively, while secular religiosity was negatively related with ethical leadership levels rated by family member managers. Although none of these variables showed significant correlations with ethical leadership perceptions of non-family member employees, ethical leadership perceptions of the family managers and ethical leadership perceptions of employees were positively correlated, and intrinsic religiosity and spiritual well-being-oriented religiosity had significant indirect effects on ethical leadership perceptions of employees.
Originality/value
Given the lack of studies addressing the links between different forms of religiosity with ethical leadership especially in the Turkish context and the gap regarding research designs analyzing these relationships from the perspectives of managers and employees, the study provides important contributions.
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Hang Zhu, Pengxiang Zhang, Xiaoyan Han and Ting Huang
The purpose of this paper is to unveil how family involvement in management teams of private Chinese companies affects professional managers’ psychological ownership and sense of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to unveil how family involvement in management teams of private Chinese companies affects professional managers’ psychological ownership and sense of “us”, in the hopes of understanding why their devotion cannot coexist with the higher level of commitment of family managers.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper includes two main studies. The first uses regression to analyze survey data provided by 165 professional managers working in Chinese private companies. The second is a scenario experiment in which 106 MBA candidates participate.
Findings
The study finds that there is a negative relationship between family management involvement and professional managers’ perceived relationship closeness to owners and psychological ownership of firms. It also finds that relationship closeness fully mediates the negative influence of family management involvement on managers’ psychological ownership.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to both the theoretical literature and management practice. From a theoretical perspective, it connects studies in indigenous sociological psychology with new literature on psychological ownership. The paper finds that personal relationships nurture the shared psychological ownership of managers by generating a sense of “us”, providing a new theoretical explanation for its formation process. Furthermore, this study offers an explanation for the negative signal effect of family involvement in management. From a practical perspective, this study finds that family involvement in management acts as a critical boundary condition for using personal relationships to stimulate professional managers.
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Frank C. Butler and John A. Martin
This chapter explores how stress may manifest among non-family member employees, family member employees, and family firm founders in family firms during the startup phases of the…
Abstract
This chapter explores how stress may manifest among non-family member employees, family member employees, and family firm founders in family firms during the startup phases of the organization. Understanding how stress arises in family firm startups has received limited attention to date. Notably absent in the research is the understanding of how stress arises in non-family member employees, which is important to understand as non-family member employees often outnumber family member employees. As stress increases for the non-family member employee due to issues such as role ambiguity and conflict, negative outcomes resultant from this stress may increase the chances of the employee exhibiting withdrawal behaviors. It is suggested these outcomes increase the stress of the family firm entrepreneur and family members by increasing interrole and interpersonal conflicts and negatively impacting decision-making. These effects on the family members may adversely impact the family firm’s chances of performing well, thus decreasing its chances for survival. Recommendations for future research are also made.
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Fan Yu, Pingtian Wang, Yun Bai and Dandan Li
According to the real environment of China, the authors collect micro data about Chinese family firms (FFs) to explain why some Chinese FFs still tend to introduce external…
Abstract
Purpose
According to the real environment of China, the authors collect micro data about Chinese family firms (FFs) to explain why some Chinese FFs still tend to introduce external managers though they have to face governance conflict between family-based managers and external managers.
Design/methodology/approach
This study analyzes the effect of governance conflict between family-based managers and external managers on firm performance by using ordinary least square test, which is also used to test which factor has influence on governance conflict’s profit promotion effect.
Findings
This study finds that governance conflict significantly improves firm performance (profit promotion effect). The governance conflict caused by the introduction of external managers in Chinese FFs can significantly improve a firm’s performance by raising its management efficiency and capital investment.
Research limitations/implications
The governance conflict of the family business needs to be further refined in following research. Besides, this study is only based on the empirical study of cross-section data.
Originality/value
Different from the existing related research is mainly based on the sample data of listed family enterprises, the China employer-employee matched survey data includes a large number of small and medium-sized FFs, and has obtained the actual situation of how many of the middle and senior managers are external not family members.
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The purpose of this study is to identify who people indicate are their role models for learning how to lead and explore how demographic characteristics may affect these choices.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify who people indicate are their role models for learning how to lead and explore how demographic characteristics may affect these choices.
Design/methodology/approach
A global online survey, involving over 34,000 respondents, indicated, from a list of 14 possibilities, the role model category from whom they learned to lead. Respondents indicated their age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, educational level, hierarchical level and job function. Chi-square analysis was used to identify how these factors may have affected the choice of role models distribution.
Findings
Family member (parents, siblings and other family outside of the immediate family) was found to be the most important role model category when it came to learning how to lead. Ranked second was immediate supervisor/manager. The rank order in terms of frequency of role model choices was not substantially different across demographic characteristics, though there were statistically significant differences regarding the relative importance of the various role model categories by demographics.
Research limitations/implications
The results offer plentiful opportunities for future scholars to delve more into both the nature and actions of role models, in keeping with social learning theory. Future scholars can investigate the nature of people's relationships with leadership role models, especially conceptualizing why and how various demographic factors affect how people learn to lead.
Practical implications
Understanding who people have as role models for what they have learned about leadership can provide important insights for those responsible for leadership development. Similarly, individuals who are in role model “positions” (e.g. parents, teachers, managers) can be more aware of how their behaviors have implications for how their audience learns what effective leadership looks like in action.
Originality/value
This study addressed a relatively unexplored area in the leadership literature, namely within what category of role model have people found to be most important in helping them learn to lead. The large and diverse sample, across a multitude of demographic characteristics, strengthens the generalizability of the findings.
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Neringa Gerulaitiene, Asta Pundziene and Egle Vaiciukynaite
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of the dynamic managerial capabilities (DMC) of the spouse (either working or non-working) of a family firm owner on firm…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of the dynamic managerial capabilities (DMC) of the spouse (either working or non-working) of a family firm owner on firm innovativeness. This paper assesses the role of three elements of the DMC of owners' spouses (emotion regulation, conflict resolution and networking capabilities) that are bridged by familiness on family firm innovativeness.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents the results of a multiple case study. Twelve cases were selected: six innovative and six non-innovative family firms in Lithuania. The study design enabled a comparison not only of innovative and non-innovative family firms but also of non-working and working spouses of family firm owners.
Findings
The findings show that family firm owners' spouses contribute to firm innovativeness through their DMC in terms of emotion regulation, conflict resolution and networking capabilities.
Research limitations/implications
This research focused on a sample of firms in Lithuania. Future studies should broaden the research to other countries.
Originality/value
This research provides empirical evidence of the hidden role of the DMC of family firm owners' spouses and their contribution to firm innovativeness. This paper extends the application of DMC to family business research.
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Robert N. Lussier and Matthew C. Sonfield
In the literature of family business, certain management activities, styles and characteristics have been most frequently examined. Yet no prior research focusing on the…
Abstract
In the literature of family business, certain management activities, styles and characteristics have been most frequently examined. Yet no prior research focusing on the relationship between these family businesses variables has been found. This is a survey‐research correlation study of 149 family businesses. Of the twelve variables studied, twenty of the sixty‐six correlations were found to be significant. Major findings are the consistent use of professional management activities, styles and characteristics in family businesses, and that using non‐family members within top management does not significantly increase the professionalism of management of such businesses.
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John James Cater and Robert T. Justis
The purpose of this paper is to better understand the development and implementation of shared leadership in multi‐generational family firms. Shared leadership or family top…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to better understand the development and implementation of shared leadership in multi‐generational family firms. Shared leadership or family top management teams involve multiple family members in the top management and ownership of family firms.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative case study approach was employed, using in‐depth interviews of the top managers of four family businesses. Each case was analyzed separately, and emergent themes found in each case; and then generalizations were made across the four cases in the cross‐case analysis.
Findings
Eight factors or conditions were examined that affect shared leadership in multi‐generational family firms according to the respondents – long‐term orientation, close communication and shared understanding, resistance to change, succession planning, failure to release control, reporting relationship confusion, increased decision time, and higher decision quality. The result of this study is the production of eight propositions to build theory concerning shared leadership, which is an under‐researched area for family business studies.
Research limitations/implications
This paper is rich in qualitative detail, but with all such case study research, its limitations regarding sample size are recognized.
Practical implications
This paper views shared leadership as a growing phenomenon that incumbent family business leaders should consider as a viable alternative to primogeniture or the choice of a single successor.
Originality/value
The study described in this paper is groundbreaking in that it examines shared leadership or the development and implementation of top management teams in family firms in depth and detail. The paper contributes a balanced view of the implementation of shared leadership in family firms, exploring both the positive and negative aspects.
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