Title: Institutionalisation of family business and its regulative, normative and cognitive pillars: embedded in traditional culture

Authors: Ye Liu

Addresses: Department of Public Administration, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, China

Abstract: Family business is established as an institution in society. Neo-institutional theorising considers an institution to be sustained by regulative, normative and cognitive pillars. Such pillars are part of the eco-system for family business, and are expectedly embedded in culture, following eco-systemic theorising. Around the world, is the institution elaborated with coupled pillars, and is the institution shaped by culture? Global Entrepreneurship Monitor surveyed a globally representative sample of 54 countries, measuring eco-systemic conditions for family business. These data are merged with measures of national culture, from World Values Survey. Factor analyses reveal regulative, normative and cognitive pillars that are distinct, loosely coupled, and varying in elaboration across societies. The institution and its pillars are embedded in traditional culture, which is family-centred and promotes the institution, especially its regulative and normative pillars. These findings contribute to understanding institutionalisation of family business and its embeddedness in culture.

Keywords: family business; institution; institutionalisation; pillars; coupling; neo-institutionalism; eco-system; traditional culture.

DOI: 10.1504/EJIM.2021.117114

European Journal of International Management, 2021 Vol.16 No.2, pp.190 - 206

Received: 03 Apr 2019
Accepted: 19 Jan 2020
Published online: 18 Aug 2021 *

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