Leadership in Family Businesses

The primary aim of this research is to identify characteristics that define successful leadership within family businesses across generations. This will facilitate successful succession and the sustainable continuity of family enterprises. Specific Objectives and Criteria: Development of a Family Business Leadership Model: Utilizing a qualitative research design, this project will leverage both secondary sources (leadership literature) and primary sources (qualitative interviews) to determine the competencies and behaviors that characterize successful leadership in family businesses. This research will expand previous studies by including external managers leading family businesses and identifying effective leadership styles in this unique context. Impact on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB): Unlike prior research which focused on self-assessment by leaders, this study will employ objective, multi-respondent measures to assess the distinct behaviors of family business leaders and their impact on OCB, a critical outcome for family enterprises. Role of Identification as a Mediator: The research will explore how identification mediates the relationship between family business leadership and OCB, differentiating between two types of identification. Application of Results: The findings will be instrumental for practitioners, providing a foundation for predictive models of family firm succession and tools for assessing leadership behaviors within family businesses. This will aid in strategic HR practices, ensuring successful transgenerational leadership transitions and potentially increasing the longevity and performance of family enterprises. Work Packages: Conceptualizing Family Business Leadership: This package includes literature review and qualitative interviews to develop a comprehensive leadership model tailored to family businesses. Examining the Impact on OCB: Quantitative research will be conducted to validate the hypotheses regarding the impact of family business leadership on OCB, leveraging cross-sectional survey data. Investigating the Mediation Effect: The third package will focus on applying a mediation model to elucidate the relationship between leadership and OCB, considering the mediating role of identification. Integration and Dissemination: The final package involves integrating the findings into a doctoral dissertation and preparing the research for publication and presentation at academic conferences. Risks and Mitigation: Potential challenges include reliance on self-reported data, cross-sectional design limitations, and engagement of top-level respondents. These will be managed through strategic scheduling, leveraging networks, and providing intermediate findings to participants.

Keywords:Leiderschap, Familiebedrijf, Multi-generationeel gedrag

Disciplines:Human resource management

Project type:Collaboration project