Chiefdoms and Family Firm Regimes: Variations on the Same Anthropological Themes
Elizabeth D. Rogers|Alan L. Carsrud|Norris Krueger
Family owned and managed firms exhibit remarkable parallels to pre-industrial chiefdoms because the typical economic environment in which they exist limits them a size scale equivalent that of chiefdom. Using anthropological research this study inventories all known procedures accommodating multiple heirs paramountcy chiefdoms. It uses exhaustive inventory characterize succession process modern family firms. The major theoretical concept adopted from anthropology is polity, defined as an autonomous system institutional finance organizational support (resource control governance). terms such polity helps us recognize universality processes. Succession processes are less idiosyncratic than we once thought. Thus, can fruitfully explore structural similarities between organizations using considerable body field literature on (Goody, 1958; Barrett, 1965) finds every scheme accommodate successors falls into one two categories: (a) personnel strategies (b) asset strategies. A second critical while it possible outcomes (here, strategies) any dynamic system, no single outcome be accurately predicted advance. purpose paper provide process, rather trying predict strategy chosen given case. perspective provides much-needed, empirically based, comprehensive model permits more nomothetic approach firm research.
Family Business Review