Search

• The family business identity can affect the family identity and the individual identity development of family members. • This impact is manifested in both professional and personal choices of family members. • The impact of the firm identity can lead to loss of the family harmony. • The impact of the firm identity can be explained by the strive for congruence between identity features. • Developments in the identity of the owning family in turn impact the identity of the firm. Family firms incorporate two identities, namely the identity of the firm and the identity of the family. Previous literature assumes that the owning family influences the identity of the firm by transferring the values and beliefs of the owners to the firm. However, identity theory suggests that identity formation is a dynamic process, based on iterations with the environment and interpretations of the past identity. In family firms this means that identity of the family can also be influenced by the firm. In this longitudinal study of a multi-generational family firm, we draw from identity literature to explore how the interplay between the business and the family identity can take place in a family firm. Our observations suggest that the identity of the firm can influence identity processes on various levels and that this is not necessarily beneficial for the family. Our study thus contributes to the understanding of identity issues in family firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our purpose is to understand the process of ‘going private’ decisions in family firms by applying a socioemotional wealth (SEW) perspective, specified in the following research questions: how do socioemotional wealth considerations influence owning families’ decisions to delist their publicly-listed companies? How do socioemotional wealth considerations change after the delisting of a firm? Based on case studies of two family firms, we elaborate upon the balancing of socioemotional and financial wealth considerations by the family owners, the assessment of which changes over time. Ultimately, we propose that the experiences from being listed can lead to the reevaluation of financial, as well as socioemotional, wealth considerations. By delisting, the companies reclaim independence and control, and the identity as a private family-owned firm becomes once again pronounced. We develop the SEW-perspective by viewing the decision to delist as a mixed gamble, in that owning families have to weigh personal and financial losses against SEW gains, thereby indicating how SEW-considerations change over time. We find that owning families are willing to sacrifice current SEW, accepting current financial losses for prospective increased SEW. Additionally, in this study we extend the argument that decisions to leave the stock market are tradeoffs between competing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]