Dysfunctional Families, Dysfunctional Firms?

How dysfunctional and deviant behaviors develop, occur, and are viewed within and across family firms is vastly different than similar behaviors in other types of businesses due to characteristics that are unique to family firms as well as the differences across family firms and the environments in which they operate. Characteristics that are expected to indicated differences in the presence of deviance and dysfunction include long-standing interactions starting in childhood among individuals, the family system, and the firm; how the family pursues its non-economic as well as its economic goals, and the nature of the dominant family’s values and the degree to which they are adopted by the firm. This chapter defines major terms, poses key questions that will be addressed, and lays out plans for the rest of the book.