Abstract
Family businesses (FBs) are a particular type of organization where both family and business dimensions intertwine. In FB literature, family firms have been studied both from a personal and an organizational point of view. In this paper, we present a new psychological approach aimed at capturing intergenerational and gender-matching differences in 67 generational pairs of entrepreneurs from Italian family firms based on 16 implicit theories. These 16 implicit theories are grouped into three psychological processes. Considering the differences across generations and between same- and cross-gender pairs of entrepreneurs, paired samples t-tests highlighted processes where FB entrepreneurs differ the most. Results from same- and cross-gender pairs analyses create a complex picture that applies when considering intergenerational differences that are a key to planning ad hoc consultations for families and their companies. Educators, researchers and consultants working with FBs may find this study interesting for two reasons. They would learn about the implicit theories that guide the attitudes, emotions, and behaviours of entrepreneurs and they could use this knowledge to work with different generations of entrepreneurs, including same- or mixed-gender pairs of seniors and juniors, during the succession process.
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MP: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing—Original Draft, Supervision. CP: Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing—Original Draft, Visualization. SCR: Writing—Review & Editing. ADL: Writing—Original Draft.
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Appendix
Appendix
List and order of items
Note. Item with (*) are reversed
Psychological Process: Future Orientation
INP: Industrial Plan (3)
Senior version:
-
The success of my business was built solely thanks to my intuition
-
The success of my firm was built solely thanks to my intuition
-
The business relies solely on my great personal skills
Junior version:
-
The success of my business was built solely thanks to the intuition of my senior
-
The success of my firm was built solely thanks to the intuition of my senior
-
My business is based solely on the great personal skills of my senior
GTP: Generational Transition Planning (3).
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We must absolutely be prepared for generational change in order to undergo it peacefully and without obstacles
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My goal is to ensure and prepare for a smooth generational transition
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The generational transition must be prepared with the right timing and by having clear timelines and goals
EBG: Exchange Between Generations (3).
Senior version:
-
I am gradually passing my experience on to the junior
-
I try to teach everything to the junior by passing my knowledge on to him/her
-
I helped the junior grow, build his/her professional figure by putting all my experience at his/her service
Junior version:
-
The senior is gradually passing his/her experience on to me
-
The senior tried to teach me everything by passing on all of his/her knowledge
-
The senior helped me grow, build my professional persona by putting all his experience at my service
VIF: Vision of Future (4).
-
The success of an entrepreneur is given by his/her ability to know how to innovate tradition
-
I am not ready to change, to revolutionize the firm (*)
-
We need to innovate in order not to fall behind, to keep up
-
I have always encouraged innovation
Psychological Process: Relationship Quality
ECC: External Company Consultants (Allowed) (3).
-
I believe that the involvement of consultants in the business is essential
-
No one can come to my firm and tell me how to run it (*)
-
I accept the presence of external consultants with no fear for my career
EFC: External Family Consultants (Not Allowed) (3).
-
No one can come to my family and tell me how to keep running the firm
-
An external consultant cannot fully grasp family logics the way a family member can
-
The best consultant for the family is the family itself
CON: Conflict (Functional—Accepted and Generative) (3).
-
The debate, the clashes in the company, are always constructive
-
I always make time available for discussion so that problems are never left unsolved
-
Arguments are normal, I try to understand the reasons behind them and make them enriching
VAL: Family is the Value (3).
-
I share and try to convey the values of my family
-
Without family you are alone, you go nowhere
-
My family is everything, it comes before everything and I cannot think of living without it
TRA: Training (3).
Senior version:
-
I had to negotiate with the junior the choice of his/her university degree (*)
-
I have always pushed the junior to fulfill himself/herself in life in terms of what he/she most likes and desires
-
I have never imposed joining the firm as a constraint, the junior’s decision was personal, free and spontaneous
Junior version:
-
I had to negotiate the choice of my university degree with the senior (*)
-
The senior has always pushed me to fulfill myself in life in terms of what I most enjoy and desire
-
The senior has never imposed joining the firm as a constraint, my choice was personal, free and spontaneous
Psychological Process: Identification
PDF 1: Personal Distance from the Firm (Identification) (3).
-
The firm is my creature, it runs in my blood
-
The firm is my mission.
-
The firm is my whole life
PDF 2: Personal Distance from the Firm (Instrumental) (3).
-
The company is just a source of income for my family
-
The firm for me is just work
-
I work in the firm only to support my family
FCI: Family and Company Intertwining (Protectionism) (3).
Senior version:
-
I don’t involve anyone in any aspects of the company
-
Problems are never discussed with the junior, I don’t feel like involving him/her
-
I do not share the firm’s problems with the junior.
Junior version:
-
I don’t involve anyone in any aspects of the company
-
Problems are never discussed with us in the family, I don't feel involved
-
It is impossible to communicate with the senior, I know things from third parties
FCO: Firm’s Concept (3).
-
The company is like another person sitting with us at the table
-
Family and firm have a symbiotic relationship
-
The family lives for the firm, the firm lives for the family
COR 1: Competence Recognition (Legitimacy) (3).
Senior version:
-
I stepped aside and passed all the management on to the Junior
-
I try to empower and delegate as much as possible to the junior, gradually giving him/her more space and autonomy
-
I leave the junior free to make the choices he/she deems most appropriate
Junior version:
-
The senior stepped aside and passed all the management on to me
-
The senior tries to empower me and delegates me as much as possible, gradually giving me more space and autonomy
-
The senior leaves me free to make the choices I deem most appropriate
COR 2: Competence Recognition (Control) (3).
Senior version:
-
I have the control and I have the last word
-
The junior must abide by what I decide and my rules
-
I hardly delegate work to others
Junior version:
-
It is the senior who has the control and has the last word
-
We all have to abide by what the senior decides, his rules
-
The senior hardly delegates work to others
ROF: Roles in the Firm (3).
-
In the firm, each role is well defined at the level of the company organization chart
-
In the firm, the roles are quite distinct, everyone has his/her own specific role
-
All roles in the firm follow a hierarchical order
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Pozzi, M., Pistoni, C., Carlo Ripamonti, S. et al. Generation and Gender Differences in Family Businesses: A New Psychological Perspective. J Fam Econ Iss 44, 919–934 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-022-09881-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-022-09881-w