Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-zzh7m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T10:19:18.701Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Qualitative research on family businesses: The relevance and usefulness of the interpretive approach

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2015

Mattias Nordqvist ,
Annika Hall  and
Leif Melin
Mattias Nordqvist
Affiliation:
Center for Family Enterprise and Ownership, Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping, Sweden
Annika Hall
Affiliation:
Center for Family Enterprise and Ownership, Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping, Sweden
Leif Melin
Affiliation:
Center for Family Enterprise and Ownership, Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping, Sweden
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Family business research has grown over the last decade and there are increasing requests for deeper insights into the nature and workings of these organizations. Currently, family business research is dominated by quantitative research methods. In this article, we argue that these studies should be complemented by a research approach that is more apt to capture the specific complexity and dynamics unique to family businesses. We suggest that the interpretive approach within the broader umbrella of qualitative methods has this potential. The article discusses issues, choices, requirements and implications for family business scholars engaged in interpretive research. We also offer suggestions for how editors and reviewers can assess interpretative research.

Keywords

family firmsresearch methodsinterpretive researchcase study research
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , July 2009 , pp. 294 - 308
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ainsworth, S and Wolfram Cox, J (2003) Families Divided: Culture and Control in Small Family Business, Organization Studies, 24: 1463–1485.Google Scholar
Alvesson, M and Sköldberg, K (2000) Reflexive Methodology. London: SageGoogle Scholar
Asplund, J (1970) Om undran inför samhället. Lund: Doxa (In Swedish).Google Scholar
Astrachan, JH (2003) Commentary on the Special Issue: The Emergence of a Field. Journal of Business Venturing, 18(5): 567–572Google Scholar
Berger, P and Luckman, T (1966) The Social Construction of Reality, New York: Doubleday.Google Scholar
Blumer, H (1969) Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. Berkeley CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Burrell, G and Morgan, G (1979) Sociological Paradigms and Organisational Analysis. Hampshire: Gower.Google Scholar
Chrisman, JJ, Chua, JH and Steier, LP (2005) Sources and Consequences of Distinctive Familiness: An Introduction. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 29(3): 237–247.Google Scholar
Cole, PC (1997) Women in Family Businesses, Family Business Review, 10(4): 353–371Google Scholar
Copeland, AP and White, KM (1991) Studying Families. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Craig, J and Moores, K (2005) Balanced Scorecards to Drive Strategic Planning in Family Firms, Family Business Review, 18(2): 105–122Google Scholar
Denzin, NK (2001) Interpretive Interactionism. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Dyer, WG Jr (1994) Potential Contributions of Organizational Behaviour to the Study of Family-Owned Businesses. Family Business Review. 7(2): 109–131.Google Scholar
Dyer, WG Jr (2003) The Family: The Missing Variable in Organizational Research Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 27(4): 401.Google Scholar
Eisenhardt, KM (1989) Building Theories from Case Study Research. Academy of Management Review. 15(4): 532–550.Google Scholar
Emerson, RM (2004) Working with ‘key incidents’. In Seale, C, Gobo, G, Gubrium, JF and Silverman, D (Eds) Qualitative Research Practice. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Fletcher, D (2000) Family and Enterprise. In Carter, S and Jones-Evans, D (Eds) Enterprise and Small Business: Principles, Practice and Policy (pp. 155–165) London: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Fletcher, D (2002) A Network Perspective of Cultural Organising and ‘Professional’ Management in the Small, Family Business. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 9(4): 400–415.Google Scholar
Gergen, MM and Gergen, KJ (2001) Qualitative Inquiry: Tensions and Transformations. In Denzin, N and Lincoln, Y (Eds), Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 1025–1046) London: Sage.Google Scholar
Giddens, A (1979) Central Problems in Social Theory: Action, Structure and Contradiction in Social Analysis. London: MacMillan.Google Scholar
Gubrium, JF and Holstein, JA (2001) Analyzing Interpretive Practice. In Denzin, N and Lincoln, Y (Eds), Handbook of Qualitative Research (pp. 487–508) London: Sage.Google Scholar
Habbershon, TG, Williams, ML and MacMillan, IC (2003) A Unified Systems Perspective of Family Firm Performance. Journal of Business Venturing, 18: 451–465.Google Scholar
Hall, A, Melin, L and Nordqvist, M (2006) Understanding Strategizing in the Family Business Context. In Poutziouris, P, Smyrnios, K and Klein, S (Eds). Family Business Research Handbook. (Ch 14) Edward Elgar, Cheltenham UK and Brookfield VT.Google Scholar
Hall, A and Nordqvist, M (2008) Professional Management in Family Businesses: Extending the Current Understanding, Family Business Review, 11(1): 51–69.Google Scholar
Hamilton, E (2006) Whose Story is it Anyway? Narrative Accounts of the Role of Women in Founding and Establishing Family Businesses, International Small Journal, 24(3): 253–271.Google Scholar
Hammersley, M (1989) The Dilemma of Qualitative Method: Herbert Blumer and the Chicago tradition. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Handler, WC (1989) Methodological Issues and Considerations in Studying Family Businesses. Family Business Review, 2(3): 257–276.Google Scholar
Howard, RJ (1982) Three Faces of Hermeneutics: An Introduction to Current Theories of Understanding. Los Angeles: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Huff, A (1998) Writing for Scholarly Publication, London: Sage.Google Scholar
James, HS Jr (1999). What can the Family Contribute to Business? Examining Contractual Relationships. Family Business Review, 12(1): 61–71.Google Scholar
Johannisson, B and Huse, M (2000) Recruiting Outside Board Members in the Small Family Business: and Ideological Challenge, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 12: 353–378.Google Scholar
Lindholm, S (1979) Vetenskap, verklighet och paradigm. Stockholm: AWE/GEBERS (In Swedish).Google Scholar
Maranhao, T (1991) Reflection, Dialogue, and the Subject. In Steier, F ed. Research and Reflexivity. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Maxwell, JA (1998) Designing a qualitative study. In Bickman, L and Rog, DJ (Eds) Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.Google Scholar
McCollom, ME (1988) Integration in the Family Firm: When the Family System Replaces Control and Culture. Family Business Review, 1(4): 399–417.Google Scholar
McCollom, ME (1992) Organizational Stories in a Family Owned Business, Family Business Review, 5(1):3–24.Google Scholar
Melin, L (1977) Strategisk inköpsverksamhet – organisation och interaktion. Doctoral Dissertation. Linköping University, Sweden (In Swedish).Google Scholar
Melin, L and Nordqvist, M. (2007) The Reflexive Dynamics of Institutionalization: The Case of the Family Business, Strategic Organization, 5(4): 321–333.Google Scholar
Miles, MB and Huberman, AM (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Nordqvist, M and Melin, L (2008) Strategic Planning Champions: Social Craftpersons, Artful Interpreters and Known Strangers, Long Range Planning, 43(3): 326–344.Google Scholar
Nordqvist, M (2005) Understanding the Role of Ownership in Strategizing: a Study of Family Firms. JIBS Dissertation Series No. 029, Jönköping International Business School, Sweden.Google Scholar
Ödman, P-J (1979) Tolkning, förståelse, vetande: hermeneutik i teori och praktik. Stockholm: AWE:GEBERS. 2nd edn 1991 (In Swedish).Google Scholar
Orum, AM, Feagin, JR and Sjoberg, G (1991) Introduction: The nature of the case study. In Feagin, JR, Orum, AM and Sjoberg, G, A Case for the Case Study. Chapel Hill NC: The University of North Carolina Press.Google Scholar
Palmer, RE (1969) Hermeneutics. Evanston IL: Northwestern University Press.Google Scholar
Pettigrew, A (1990) Longitudinal Field Research on Change: Theory and Practice. Organization Science, 1(3): 267–292.Google Scholar
Pettigrew, A, Thomas, H and Whittington, R (2002) Strategic management: The strengths and limitations of a field. In Pettigrew, A, Thomas, H. and Whittington, R (Eds) Handbook of Strategy and Management. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Ram, M (2001) Family Dynamics in a Small Consultancy Firm: A Case Study, Human Relations, 54(4): 395–418.Google Scholar
Schwandt, TA (1997) Qualitative Inquiry: A Dictionary of Terms. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Schwandt, TA (2000) Three Epistemological Stances for Qualitative Inquiry: Interpretivism, Hermeneutics and Social Constructionism. In Denzin, NK and Lincoln, YS (Eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research. (2nd edn). Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Seale, C (2004) Quality in Qualitative Research. In Seale, C, Gobo, G, Gubrium, JF and Silverman, D (Eds). Qualitative Research Practice. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Sharma, P (2004) An Overview of the Field of Family Business Studies: Current Status and Directions for the Future. Family Business Review, 17(1): 1–36.Google Scholar
Stake, RE (1995) The Art of Case Study Research. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Stake, RE (2000) Case Studies. In Denzin, NK and Lincoln, YS (Eds) Handbook of Qualitative Research (2nd edn). Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Steier, L (2007) New Venture Creation and Organization: A Familial Sub-Narrative, Journal of Business Research, 60: 1099–1107.Google Scholar
Stewart, A (2003) Help One Another, Use One Another: Toward an Anthropology of Family Business. Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, 27(4): 383–396.Google Scholar
Suddaby, R (2006) From the Editors: What Grounded Theory is Not, Academy of Management Journal, 49(4): 633–642.Google Scholar
Weber, M (1921/1968) Economy and Society (3 vols). Totowa NJ: Bedminster Press. English translation.Google Scholar
Weick, KE (1995) Sensemaking in organizations. Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Whetten, DA (1989) What Constitutes a Theoretical Contribution? Academy of Management Review, 14(4): 490–495.Google Scholar
Yin, RK (2001) Case study research: design and methods (4nd edn) Newbury Park CA: Sage.Google Scholar