1. Where Have We Been and Where We Should Be Going in Family Business Research

Our interest in family businesses derives from not only participation in family firms but also by what we have observed over the years. It is also heavily influenced by our passion for understanding entrepreneurs (Carsrud and Brännback 2009) and the subsequent firms they create which often start out as family ventures. While what we have observed is often positive, the horror tales are frequent and legend. It seems that the structure inherent in a successful business is often in a “degree of tension” with those which characterize a harmonious family. It is this “conflict” that is at the heart of the uniqueness of family business. This book is an attempt to address unique issues that arise from this tension between the family system and the business system.