Our purpose is to challenge the dominant meaning of professional management in family business research and to suggest an
extended understanding of the concept. Based on a review of selected literature on professional management and with insights
from cultural theory and symbolic interactionism, we draw on interpretive case research to argue that professional family
business management rests on two competencies, formal and cultural, of which only the former is explicitly recognized in current
family business literature. We elaborate on the meanings and implications of cultural competence and argue that without it
a CEO of a family business is likely to work less effectively, no matter how good the formal qualifications and irrespective
of family membership.
william doust on 10 Jun 14"As research on family business continues to grow, six key trends have become evident. These trends include a continuing pursuit of a few research topics such as succession, a strong preference for practice-oriented research methods, a tendency to borrow heavily from other disciplines without giving back to these fields, and a strong preference to talk to other researchers conducting research on family firms-failing to communicate with scholars from other disciplines. Therefore, we suggest strategies to expedite the growth of family business research toward better understanding the paradoxes faced by family business managers, deepen insights into the problems they encounter, improve rigor in reported research, find ways to promote a dialog with scholars in sister disciplines, and give back to the disciplines from which we borrow heavily."
