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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.

This research gathered survey data and tested the hypothesis using analysis of covariance.

American family businesses engaged the services of non-family-member managers to a statistically significant greater degree than did Arab/Islamic family businesses.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This research focused on a sample of firms in Lithuania. Future studies should broaden the research to other countries.

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.

The aim of this paper is to theorize on and empirically extend the understanding of the adoption of codes of ethics within the context of family firms. The authors contend that in family firms the adoption of code of ethics is a process emerging from social interaction.

Through a multiple case study design the authors analyze family firms that have not yet adopted a code of ethics and untangle the process that could potentially lead to that choice.

The authors’ main finding suggests that the institutional context impacts on the adoption of codes of ethics. Furthermore, in first generation the adoption of codes of ethics is hindered by the presence of the founder and the existence of strong family ties. In subsequent generations as founder centrality is reduced the owning-family considers more the possibility to adopt such codes to preserve the family's reputation in the local community.

First multiple views also from external stakeholders could be added; second, an international perspective using cross-country cases could add more nuances on how cultural and institutional aspects shape the adoption of codes of ethics differently across national contexts.

The authors’ findings inform family business owners on the importance of adopting code of ethics to support the formalization of the family value system.

The authors advance the debate on codes of ethics in family firms by disentangling the process through which those codes may be adopted to institutionalize and formalize the family values, history and tradition.

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.

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.

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.

This paper is rich in qualitative detail, but with all such case study research, its limitations regarding sample size are recognized.

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.

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.

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.

The purpose of the present paper is to investigate whether the transition from a family business to a non‐family business affects the institutionalisation of management accounting.

This paper is based on an online survey among all large and medium‐sized Austrian firms. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used to test the impact of the level of family influence on aspects of the institutionalisation of management accounting. Firm size is included as the main control variable.

A lower level of influence from the controlling family was found to be correlated with the institutionalisation and intensification of management accounting in medium‐sized firms. For large firms, such a linear relationship could not be drawn. The level of education of management accountants was inversely correlated with the level of family influence in both large and medium‐sized firms.

Further research into the reasons, underlying drivers and inter‐organisational promoters of management accounting change in family businesses is needed. Furthermore, the organisational impacts of the transition from family businesses to non‐family businesses deserve further investigation.

A framework for assessing the organisational effects of the transition from family businesses to non‐family businesses is provided. The empirical results on the impact of the transition on the institutionalisation of management accounting are presented. The level of family influence was found to act as a significant contextual factor for the organisation of management accounting in medium‐sized firms.

Family centered non-economic (FCNE) goals, such as environmental and social goals, are sometimes strenuous to “sell” to non-family members in a family business, and are often open to resistance. The purpose of this paper is to identify socio-psychological mechanisms for achieving FCNE goals because, in addition to economic goals, they are the other two components of the triple bottom line.

Through a juxtaposition of the literature on family businesses, and the theories of mindfulness and psychological ownership, this paper argues for the facilitating roles of family involvement and mindful organizing in the achievement of FCNE goals. An example of how a Kuwaiti oil company implements these ideas is appended.

A moderated link between family involvement, mindful organizing and FCNE goal of environmental sustainability. Besides its direct effect on environmental sustainability, mindful organizing also has a potential mediating role in the relationship between family involvement and environmental sustainability. Psychological ownership, environmental sensitivity and individual mindfulness will moderate the relationship between mindful organizing and the achievement of environmental sustainability goals.

The paper presents ten propositions and argues that three types of family involvement (ownership, management and inter-generational), together with non-family engagement (through mindful organizing) would lead to success in achieving the FCNE goal of environmental sustainability. Psychological ownership, environmental sensitivity and individual mindfulness are potential moderators.

The paper suggests some key drivers of FCNE goal of environmental sustainability as well as several contingent factors. Applicable to family businesses, owners and/or managers of similar firms can apply knowledge from this study in the pursuit of environmental sustainability.

The paper’s model advances the current understanding of the link between family involvement, mindful organizing, environmental sustainability, psychological ownership, environmental sensitivity and individual mindfulness in the context of family business. The paper further suggests new future research directions.