Learning bad habits across generations: How negative imprints affect human resource management in the family firm

Unraveling the Role of Shared Vision and Trust in Constructive Conflict Management of Family Firms. An Empirical Study From a Mixed Methods Approach

Family firms are a unique setting to study constructive conflict management due to the influence of family ties of the owning family imprinting a sense of common purpose and shared destiny, and high levels of trust. We study the relationship between shared vision and trust that intervene in the adoption of constructive conflict management. To achieve our purpose, we carried out a systematic indirect observation using a mixed methods approach. We used the narratives of 17 semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded and transcribed, of family and non-family managers or directors from five Spanish family firms in the siblings' partnership stage, combined with documentary data obtained from different sources. Intra- and inter-observer reliability were confirmed. Results show a dynamic relationship between shared vision and specific components of trust (benevolence and ability) at different levels of conflict management. We also provide evidence of specific processes of concurrence-seeking and open-mindedness in family and ownership forums accounting for the relevance of family governance in these type of organizations. Family firms are a sum of several subsystems which exhibit a particular resources configuration. This study sheds light on constructive conflict management in family firms opening interesting avenues for further research and offering practical implications to managers, owners, and advisors.

Physical Activity Level, Mediterranean Diet Adherence, and Emotional Intelligence as a Function of Family Functioning in Elementary School Students

(1) Background: Family is considered as one of the most important elements for the transmission of healthy habits that improve the lives of students. For this reason, the present study aims to describe the degree of family functionality, emotional intelligence, Mediterranean diet adherence, and extra-curricular physical activity engagement. A further aim is to perform a correlational analysis between these variables. (2) Methods: To this end, an ad hoc questionnaire was used, alongside the APGAR, KIDMED, and Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS-24). (3) Results: Finally, the data suggest that a high percentage of students need to improve their diet. Further, students reporting severe family dysfunction showed worse outcomes. Thus, levels of emotional clarity were lower when family functionality was poor. Poor diet quality was also associated with lower emotional attention, with Mediterranean diet adherence being positively related to emotional clarity and repair, as well as normal family functionality. (4) Conclusions: Boys showed higher levels of adherence to the Mediterranean diet adherence, while girls reported higher family functionality. Thus, compliance with the minimum recommendations for physical activity engagement was associated with adequate adherence to the Mediterranean diet. The importance of diet for obtaining an optimal physical condition, adequate emotional state, and family functionality is highlighted.

Human resource management adaptation among family firms operating in Western Australia: an exploratory study

Purpose

Interviews were conducted with eight family businesses involved in several industries in Western Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

The purpose of this study is to draw on the experiences of family-owned firms and explore how contemporary human resource management (HRM) and allied developments shape their business practices.

Findings

Significant strengths emerged relevant to “formalised HRM processes” and “familiness”. However, challenges were simultaneously experienced or interpreted as negatively affecting family firm performance. In addition, there was a relationship between challenges and external environmental factors. These challenges are categorised as “labour costs and supply” and “formalising HRM practices”. Further, participants discussed emerging opportunities, and how they were strategically considering the relationship between organisation finance, innovation, future growth, operations and HRM.

Originality/value

From a practical standpoint, the research addresses the complexities of managing contemporary HRM developments in ways that contribute to improved family firm performance. From a theoretical perspective, key insights of the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and strategic HRM theory are considered to gain a deeper understanding of family firms' adaptive managerial activities.

Parents’ Learning Mechanisms for Family Firm Succession: An Empirical Analysis in Spain through the Lens of the Dynamic Capabilities Approach

Succession is a concern for most family firms. The literature has addressed succession in family firms from different perspectives. However, there are still unaddressed questions concerning the microfoundations of succession, and there is a need to secure a better understanding of the succession process and what role parents play therein. Using the dynamic capabilities approach, we shed light on the influence of parents’ behaviors on successors’ intentions. In particular, the paper pursues a twofold aim; first, to analyze the effect of learning mechanisms that parents deliberately use with their children in the family firm on the succession dynamic capability; and second, to explore the impact of this dynamic capability of successor intention to continue in the family firm. We test the model on a sample of potential successors of family firms in Spain. Using partial least squares (PLS) for a sample of 9146 individuals, we confirm the positive impact of the use of parents’ deliberate learning mechanisms on succession dynamic capability and, in turn, the positive effect of the created succession dynamic capability on the successor’s intention to continue the family firm. Furthermore, we find that perceived self-efficacy fails to have any effect on successor intention.

Impact of Age Management on Sustainability in Czech Organisations

Age management is becoming an increasingly important part of strategic human resources management practices and can ultimately lead to a competitive advantage. Research results confirmed that a strategic focus on the efficient use of all age categories of employees yields retention, the successful achievement of organisation goals, development, and, ultimately, a competitive advantage. The aim of this article is to identify and evaluate approaches to age management practices in organisations in 1271 organisations in the Czech Republic. Quantitative research was carried out in selected organisations operating over a three-year period. Data was gathered from these organisations and evaluated using descriptive and multidimensional statistics. The results show that those organisations focusing on the application of age management practices achieved a competitive advantage regardless of size or sector of the organisation. Statistical analysis (χ2 test, Cramer’s V, factor analysis) on survey data shows that many of these organisations achieved significant perceived benefits from the application of age management. The approach to age management application varies in organisations depending on whether it is an internal branding of an employer or response to a crisis. Organisations either use of best practices to implement age management or it is a carefully planned process in advance. Follow-up research can focus on the use of age management in crisis management or employer branding. This study is a non-experimental quantitative correlation analysis utilising longitudinal empirical data.

Social ecological factors affecting substance abuse in Ghana (West Africa) using photovoice

INTRODUCTION

Substance abuse is an important public health issue affecting West Africa; however, there is currently a dearth of literature on the actions needed to address it. The aim of this study was to assess the risks and protective factors of substance abuse in Ghana, West Africa, using the photovoice method.

METHODS

This study recruited and trained 10 participants in recovery from substance abuse and undergoing treatment in the greater Accra region of Ghana on the photovoice methodology. Each participant received a disposable camera to take pictures that represented the risk and protective factors pertinent to substance abuse in their communities. They were also given the opportunity to provide narratives of the pictures using pre-identified themes and the different levels of the social-ecological model and participatory action research (PAR).

RESULTS

Participants identified at the individual level: ignorance; interpersonal level: family and peer pressure; organizational level: lack of regulation; community level: media, availability of drugs, cost of drugs, urbanization, slum communities and cultural factors; and policy level: lack of regulations and their enforcement. Education and beliefs were cited at the individual level; family at the interpersonal level; religion at the organizational level; organizing youth, media and narcotics anonymous at the community level; and nothing at the policy level.

CONCLUSION

This is an exploratory study that will add to the limited body of knowledge in the scientific literature with respect to substance abuse in the country and also help develop interventions to address the respective needs of several communities in Ghana.

Organizational antecedents of firms’ adoption of strategic human resource practices: Toward a reconciliation of CEO perceptions and family influence

There is lively debate in the literature about the effects of family influence on employment practices. Particularly, little empirical research explores the role of family influence in driving a firm’s adoption of specific strategic human resource practices such as high-performance work systems. Drawing from the tenets of the resource-based and stewardship theories, this study examines the relationship between chief executive officers’ perceived human resource capability and firm adoption of high-performance work systems in family business, and the joint moderating effect of family management and ownership on the above linkage. Our analysis uses chief executive officer–human resource manager matched samples of 145 Taiwanese publicly listed firms, the results show that chief executive officers perceived human resource capability is significantly and positively associated with the adoption of high-performance work systems. Moreover, this relationship is found to be the strongest when the family assumes leadership in management (i.e. the firm has a family chief executive officer) and family ownership is high.