Overcoming the Paternalistic Firm – Codetermined Family Businesses: A Paradox? Comparing Cases from Sweden and Germany

IF 7.6 0 MANAGEMENT

Management Revue Pub Date : 2020-01-01 DOI:10.5771/0935-9915-2020-4-420

B. Boers

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The purpose of this comparative case study is to understand codetermination in two family firms. Thereby, this study aims at exploring the role of employee-representatives in two non-listed family businesses. Empirically, this study draws on an interpretive case study of two family businesses. Its findings extend earlier research, by exploring and introducing the phenomenon of codetermination in the family business literature. Codetermination is explored with the perspective of paternalism as analytical lens. Theoretically, the study draws on the control-collaboration paradox which helps understanding the phenomenon of codetermination. The study reveals different types of codetermination, i.e., the works council and the board of directors. The implications of these types are highlighted and discussed. Findings highlight the need for professional governance structures in order to facilitate cooperation between family owners, the management, and employee representatives. Professional governance allows handling the paternalistic ideological underpinnings which can otherwise prevent continued firm success, leading to unsolved conflicts.

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克服家长式企业——共同决定的家族企业:一个悖论?比较瑞典和德国的案例

本比较案例研究的目的是了解两个家族企业的共同决策。因此，本研究旨在探讨员工代表在两家非上市家族企业中的作用。在实证方面，本研究采用了两个家族企业的解释性案例研究。通过探索和引入家族企业文献中的共同决定现象，其发现扩展了早期的研究。共同决定的探讨与家长作风的角度作为分析镜头。从理论上讲，该研究借鉴了控制-协作悖论，这有助于理解共同决定现象。研究揭示了不同类型的共同决策，即劳资委员会和董事会。强调并讨论了这些类型的含义。研究结果强调了专业治理结构的必要性，以促进家族所有者、管理层和员工代表之间的合作。专业治理允许处理家长式的意识形态基础，否则会阻碍公司的持续成功，导致无法解决的冲突。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Management Revue MANAGEMENT-

CiteScore

1.20

自引率

0.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Management Revue - Socio-Economic Studies is an interdisciplinary European journal that undergoes peer review. It publishes qualitative and quantitative work, along with purely theoretical papers, contributing to the study of management, organization, and industrial relations. The journal welcomes contributions from various disciplines, including business and public administration, organizational behavior, economics, sociology, and psychology. Regular features include reviews of books relevant to management and organization studies. Special issues provide a unique perspective on specific research fields. Organized by selected guest editors, each special issue includes at least two overview articles from leaders in the field, along with at least three new empirical papers and up to ten book reviews related to the topic. The journal aims to offer in-depth insights into selected research topics, presenting potentially controversial perspectives, new theoretical insights, valuable empirical analysis, and brief reviews of key publications. Its objective is to establish Management Revue - Socio-Economic Studies as a top-quality symposium journal for the international academic community.