Family Business Leaders' Metaphors and Firm Performance: Exploring the "Roots" and "Shoots" of Symbolic Meanings. (June 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tognazzo, Alessandra; Neubaum, Donald O.
• Is Part Of: Family business review. Volume 33:Number 2(2020)
• Page Start: 130
• Page End: 151
• Publication Date: 2020-06
• Subjects: performance -- leadership -- case study -- metaphors -- archetypes; Family-owned business enterprises -- United States -- Periodicals; Home labor -- United States -- Periodicals; Small business -- United States -- Periodicals; New business enterprises -- United States -- Periodicals; 658.045
• DOI: 10.1177/0894486520910874
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0894-4865

Abstract

To investigate the complex dynamics when family members with differing perceptions and interpretations of reality jointly lead their family business, this research adopts an epistemic-operative interview technique using Morgan's images of organization. We explore how family leaders' root metaphors, which are symbolic frames that help understand individuals' attitudes and behaviors, are linked to family businesses' behavior and performance. Analyzing six Italian family hotels, we derive four structures of family symbolic meanings and explain how and why relationships and innovation are mechanisms through which firm performance is related and connected to the offshoots of the meanings of family leaders' root metaphors.