Next-generation leadership development in family businesses: the critical roles of shared vision and family climate

Family climate influences next-generation family business leader effectiveness and work engagement

Effective next-generation leadership is central to the multi-generational survival of family businesses. This study of 100 next-generation family business leaders found that business-owning families that openly express their opinions, take time to listen to each other, and squarely address difficult issues positively influence the development of the emotional and social intelligence competencies in next-generation family leaders that drive their leadership effectiveness. That kind of open and transparent communication in the family also makes it more likely next-generation leaders will be held accountable for their leadership performance by others, which increases the degree to which they are positively engaged with their work in the family firm. On the other hand, the results suggest that senior-generation family leaders who lead autocratically, a leadership style often observed in entrepreneurs who found family firms, make it less likely that next-generation family leaders will learn the emotional and social intelligence competencies that predict their leadership effectiveness. The study also found that autocratic senior-generation leaders negatively affect next-generation leader self-efficacy and make it less likely that others will hold them accountable, which limits their engagement with work in the family business. One of the study's most important findings is that next-generation leader acceptance of personal responsibility for their leadership behaviors and results serves as a mediator through which the nature of the family climate influences their leadership effectiveness and work engagement. This suggests that while the nature of family relationships may make it easier or more difficult, next-generation family leaders have ultimate control over the development of their leadership talent and the inspiration, enthusiasm, energy, and pride they feel when working in the family business.

Identities of the incumbent and the successor in the family business succession: Review and prospects

Introduction

The cognition and motivation of family business incumbents and the successors will directly influence succession behavior, yet they face identity challenges during succession due to the intersection of family and firm context, and their ability to overcome identity challenges will determine the success of the succession. However, as studies on their identity are fragmented and lack systematicity, there is a need to assess the relevant literature.

Methods

Drawing from social identity theory (SIT) and role identity theory (RIT), this article adopts a systematic literature review approach to analyze 99 SSCI-indexed articles to explore family business succession from an identity perspective.

Results

The article finds that the focus on the self-concept of the incumbent and the successor shifts from group identification to role identity perception and multi-roles, and succession behaviors are based on identity perception.

Discussion

This article summarizes a knowledge framework of the antecedents, connotations, and behavioral consequences of identity perception, revealing that family business succession from an identity perspective exhibits psychological and multidisciplinary characteristics, highlighting iterative and mutual features. Based on identity theories and succession research, this article proposes future directions from the research topics, research methods, and theoretical perspectives within the existing knowledge framework, such as cross-cultural and diachronic analysis, as well as from the theoretical perspectives of family, personality development, and pedagogy.

Identification positively affects the creativity of family business: The mediating role of family business support

With the arbitrariness of family business decision-making and the complexity of interests become increasingly prominent, the transformation and innovation of family business are imminent. Under the above background, via analysis of data from 259 valid questionnaires from more than ten family businesses in China as a sample and with the help of the SPSS and AMOS, this study explored the impacts of identification on creativity of the family business as well as the mediating role of family business support by constructing a mediating model. The results show that the employee’s identification has a positive impact on the creativity of the family business. Besides, identification has a positive impact on family business support and family business support has a partial mediating role between identification and family business creativity. Especially, the emotional support does not have a mediating role, whereas the instrumental support has a complete mediating role between identification and family business creativity.

Complexity of Family Businesses in El Salvador: A Structural Equation Model

Family businesses play an important role in sustainable development in Latin American countries, providing economic benefits and leading to a reduction in violence. Until now, family businesses, their characteristics, and the factors that influence their economic development have not been studied in this region. Identifying the appropriate variables contributing to successful family businesses in this region and clarifying the relationships between these variables are important for developing a management model that supports the stability and growth of these businesses and their influence on sustainable development in the region. To this end, this study aims to understand the complexity of family businesses classified as small and medium-sized companies located in San Salvador, El Salvador. This study represents a first approximation and application of this model in one of the representative economies of Latin America. Our literature review allowed us to establish a basic management model incorporating the complexity of family businesses in this regional context. Using a partial least squares structural equation model (SEM-PLS) and a database of 181 family firms, we identify the variables that best explain the management model through the following structures: financial management, business management, family complexity, and company complexity. The results show that in conditions where high interest rates coexist with political conflicts and a complex economic situation, family businesses constitute a pillar for the development of the country towards sustainability. This study has practical implications for entrepreneurs and professionals. This research proposes a management model that allows us to identify the variables that increase or decrease the complexity of family businesses and guides entrepreneurs in taking concrete actions to reduce this complexity. In general terms, this model explains that financial performance depends on business management, the complexity of the family, and the complexity of the company. Finally, based on the results obtained in El Salvador, a clear direction for future research is established, through which it is possible to study the variables that may reduce the complexity of the family and the company in other countries with similar socioeconomic characteristics.

Dynamics of the ideal self

Purpose

The ideal self has had a place in management literature in recent years with reference to identity and role change. However, except for a JMD article in 2006, there has been little theorizing on the ideal self, which is often treated as a static construct. The purpose of this article is to update and refine the concept and explain the dynamic nature of the construct.

Design/methodology/approach

This conceptual paper is based on a review of the recent management and psychology literature related to the ideal self and its components.

Findings

The authors propose a dynamic theory of the emerging ideal self and delineate how its components evolve over time.

Research limitations/implications

The ideal self, or one's personal vision, is a major motivator of learning and change and the sustainability of such efforts. The time dynamic theory would encourage and guide longitudinal research using better variables and measures as well as help in conceptualizing the role of socialization, social identity and life/career stages.

Practical implications

With a better theory of the ideal self, trainers, consultants, coaches and teachers can help people update their deep sense of purpose and the sustaining driver of learning and change the ideal self. It could help people and organizations address a major determinant of engagement.

Originality/value

This theory offers a temporal understanding of how the ideal self can motivate learning and change at different life and career eras, which can help in designing future research on identity-related transitions.

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.

Mental Health in Family Businesses and Business Families: A Systematic Review

Mental health issues in family businesses and business families have been studied in multiple disciplines within the past three decades. This article systematically reviews 51 articles on mental health issues in family businesses and business families, published in a wide variety of psychology, entrepreneurship, and management journals. Based on a systematic review of extant literature, this article first provides an overview of the state of the art, followed by specific suggestions on novel research questions, theoretical frameworks and study design. This way, the review systematizes evidence on known antecedents and consequences of mental health issues in family businesses and business families, but also reveals overlooked and undertheorized drivers and outcomes. The review reveals major gaps in our knowledge that hinder a valid understanding of mental health in the specific context of family businesses and business families, and articulates specific research questions that could be tackled by future research among management as well as mental health scholars. Finally, we point to the relevance of this study for policy makers, family business advisors, therapists and managers.

Nurse managers experiences of their leadership roles in a specific mining primary healthcare service in the West Rand

BACKGROUND

Nurse managers are leaders in mining primary healthcare. Their leadership roles include inspiring and empowering operational managers and nursing personnel, by leading with competence developing them to become followers with insight and direction. However, these leadership roles are not clearly defined, and are negatively influenced by the traditional mining leadership style.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to explore and describe the nurse managers' experiences of their leadership roles in a specific mining primary healthcare service on the West Rand, to develop recommendations to enhance these roles.

METHOD

A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used in this study, following a phenomenological approach as a research method. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used. Nurse managers described experiences of their leadership roles during individual phenomenological interviews. Data saturation was reached on participant number 7. To analyse data, four stages of Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological data analysis was used. An independent coder coded the data and a consensus meeting was held. The study was guided by the theoretical framework of Winkler's role theory.

RESULTS

The following subthemes emanated from data analysis: (1) leadership role ambiguity, (2) leadership roles experienced and (3) challenges experienced in leadership roles.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that the leadership roles for nurse managers in a specific mining primary healthcare service are not clearly defined. Hence enhancements and expansions of these leadership roles remained stagnant. A clearly defined policy on leadership roles for nurse managers should be developed.

Emotional intelligence competencies in engineer’s effectiveness and engagement

Purpose

Little research has explored the importance of interpersonal skills, and more specifically, emotional and social intelligence (ESI) competencies for an engineer’s effectiveness or engagement. Furthermore, to the knowledge, no studies have explored the explanatory power of ESI over and above general mental ability and personality for engineers. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study the authors gathered multi-source data for 40 engineers in a multi-national manufacturing company.

Findings

The authors found that ESI as observed by their peers significantly predicted engineer effectiveness (ΔR2=0.313), while general mental ability (g) and personality did not. In the same study, an engineer’s engagement in their work was significantly predicted by the degree of shared vision within their teams, while g, personality and ESI did not predict engagement.

Research limitations/implications

The authors explore the implications of the findings for corporate training and development, undergraduate education, and graduate education of engineers.

Originality/value

The authors draw on 30 years of longitudinal studies showing ESI and quality of relationships can be significantly improved with the appropriate pedagogy emphasizing the building of one’s vision, developmental approaches to ESI, developing a shared vision with others, and inspirational coaching.

The role of the positive emotional attractor in vision and shared vision: toward effective leadership, relationships, and engagement

Personal and shared vision have a long history in management and organizational practices yet only recently have we begun to build a systematic body of empirical knowledge about the role of personal and shared vision in organizations. As the introductory paper for this special topic in Frontiers in Psychology, we present a theoretical argument as to the existence and critical role of two states in which a person, dyad, team, or organization may find themselves when engaging in the creation of a personal or shared vision: the positive emotional attractor (PEA) and the negative emotional attractor (NEA). These two primary states are strange attractors, each characterized by three dimensions: (1) positive versus negative emotional arousal; (2) endocrine arousal of the parasympathetic nervous system versus sympathetic nervous system; and (3) neurological activation of the default mode network versus the task positive network. We argue that arousing the PEA is critical when creating or affirming a personal vision (i.e., sense of one's purpose and ideal self). We begin our paper by reviewing the underpinnings of our PEA-NEA theory, briefly review each of the papers in this special issue, and conclude by discussing the practical implications of the theory.