Temporal Dimensions of Family Enterprise Research

摘要

What is time and why is it particularly relevant in studies of family business? Time is "a non-spatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from past through the present to the future" (Ancona, Okhuysen, & Perlow, 2001, p. 513). It "is such an obvious factor in social science that it is almost invisible" (Adam, 1990, p. 3). As the adage goes, "Time marches on"-no matter what. Therefore, time is a factor that underpins all organizational research, and the study of family business is no exception. To the contrary, we suggest that time may be even more important to consider in our field of research. The critical, yet commonly overlooked, role of time was actually present in the very first issue of Family Business Review (FBR). Several articles in that issue focused on transmitting culture, dynastic family wealth, and ownership over generations (Dyer, 1988; P. D. Hall, 1988; Weiser, Brody, & Quarrey, 1988). Another article directed attention to temporal issues within the same generation, such as the identity struggles of a later-born son or daughter who becomes head of the family business (Barnes, 1988). Thus, the seeds of temporal depth in the form of generations and timing as in birth order were planted in these foundational articles.