Fertile Ground for Exploring the Roots of “Bad” Behavior

After summarizing the various theories employed in the study of family business dysfunction, this chapter returns focus to the family system to encourage the study of how several theories developed in the family studies arena can aid explanation and prediction of why and when deviance and dysfunction occur in some family firms. Changing definitions of family, the establishment and growth of the family as well as theories such as family systems, parental control, family niche-model of birth order and personality, family communication patterns, developmental psychology, and kinship theory can tell more about the roots of bad behavior than has been revealed thus far. The firm’s external context is also examined to determine the roles that national culture and potentially race and ethnicity play in how bad behavior is viewed and managed in diverse family firms.