The Centrality of Family

Abstract

In March of 2020, the opening editorial in Family Business Review (FBR) acknowledged the importance of family in our lives and highlighted—that how, among all the relationships we have with others, both personal and professional, familial relationships represent the most relevant and central of all (Payne, 2020). The family psychology literature notes that the symbolic and metaphorical representations of the maternal and paternal pillars of the family deeply influence our perceptions of the world around us (Tognazzo & Neubaum, 2020). Since the release of that issue, the entire world (along with our way of life) has been disrupted by the pandemic, ushering in many unforeseen challenges and changes that have left no relationship or part of our society undisturbed. The way we interact with others has been undeniably altered. Among the many trials emerging over the past year, the most difficult are arguably those that involve the inextricable balance between family and work. Of our many roles—as parents, children, spouses, partners, managers, teachers, employees, business owners, and caretakers, and so on—there persists a demand to continually monitor and assess situations to ensure the shortand long-term well-being of the many people around us. Priorities and routines change. Although great strides have been made to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19 infections and help society navigate the hardships stemming from social distancing (e.g., the evolution of virtual meeting platforms, more extensive work-from-home structures, touch-free retailing, and remote schooling), many of these efforts tend to remind us of the importance of close relationships, and especially, close familial relationships. As these changes have reminded us of the value of such relationships, which can occasionally be taken for granted, we are also reminded of the strength and impact of familial relationships in the context of a firm. Given the integral role of the family in many firms, these changes in our society have underscored, by association and necessity, the tight-knit and mutual dependence between families and business. One clear lesson learned these past months is how the well-being of the economy, and society at large, is simultaneously dependent on the interwoven wellbeing of our family and business systems. If nothing else, 2020 has perhaps ushered in a new era of relevance for family businesses, making our field all the more obvious and imperative to the world. It is with this realization that we suggest family business scholars move forward with confidence, recognizing that our work has a unique and important role to play; we can make a difference in how businesses and society respond to the many challenges and associated opportunities that have emerged or will soon emerge. We believe the current crisis may be particularly impactful on family businesses, and as such, the way scholars view the underlying assumption to family business research may require significant rethinking. As suggested by De Massis and Rondi (2020), the current context surely provides a myriad research questions that can advance our understanding of family businesses and how they navigate these uncertain times. In fact, it is our belief that our field may be uniquely positioned to understand, and address, some of these challenges and ensuing responses. For example, family businesses scholars have long recognized the potential for longevity and resilience among some family businesses. Families like the Baroviers, who operate Barovier and Toso, a fine 995268 FBRXXX10.1177/0894486521995268Family Business ReviewNeubaum and Payne editorial2021