Familiness In Family Business: A Narrative Literature Review And Future Research Directions

Family businesses, the backbone of the global economy, thrive on family elements, referred to as familiness. Familiness is a unique combination of resources available in family firms, generated through family involvement. However, currently, there is a lack of understanding of the concept of familiness. This
study aimed to fill this knowledge gap by understanding the state-of-the-art literature on familiness concept. To fulfil this objective, a literature review on the concept of familiness in family business, specifically using the narrative review approach was conducted. This review employed a scoping searching technique to identify and select articles related to familiness. In total, 36 articles were included for review and analysis. The review generated three emergent themes: i) definitions of familiness; ii) roles of familiness; and iii) factors influencing familiness. It found that the definitions of the term familiness evolved over time. Earlier, literature defined familiness as existing resources in family firms, and later it was highlighted as resources that are actively co-created by family members through joint decision-making of the firm’s strategic decisions. In terms of the roles of familiness, this review extends the body of knowledge related to family businesses, particularly by outlining how familiness plays a predominantly positive role in influencing organisational outcomes. Furthermore, familiness may be the antecedent, mediator, and moderator of organisational outcomes, which potentially paves the way for establishing familiness as a potential source from which to generate resources for family businesses. The study also identified research gaps and provides some suggestions for future research.