Resumo

Family businesses are prevalent in Brazilian and world economies and constitute a particular form of organization, due to the dynamic interplay among family, management and ownership sub-systems. This interaction is mediated by organizational culture, which has not yet been properly explored in the literature. The current article aims to fill this gap, exploring the state of art of culture in FB research, by means of a literature review in both functionalist and interpretative studies. Theoretical domains are emphasized in each paradigm, as theoretical lenses supporting empirical research.

i) what are the sociological paradigms that lie behind the specific literature?; ii) what are the theoretical lens which support those studies?; and iii) how future research may contribute to the theoretical and practical development of this stream of research?

i) General definition of culture: a set of informal/intangible elements (meanings, values, beliefs, symbols, assumptions, ideologies, myths and rituals) that emerge from socializations process (mostly by learning and shared experiences) and shape the way people think and act – thus influencing behavior. ii) Theoretical Domain of Functionalists Studies - Resource Based View (RBV) - New Institutional Theory - Agency Theory iii) Theoretical Domain of Interpretative Studies - Local culture and culture model; - Meek´s Analytical Framework

In order to provide answers to the research questions, a search process for articles between 2011 and 2015 has been undertaken using the terms “culture” and “family firms/family business” on the title, abstract and key words of Scopus data base. 66 articles were primarily found, and then subject to two filtering processes, which supported the exclusion of 39 articles. Two classification criteria were adopted: i) the article should be empirical; ii) culture should explicitly be object of analysis. Thus, 27 articles remain left, covering different types of contexts for culture in FB research.

i) Studies adopting a functionalist approach to culture are relatively well developed, regarding the link among contingence factors, organizational variables and performance; In the other hand, these papers tend to sub estimate the complexity of culture: it is usually treated as a one-way variable measured in a single dimension; ii) Generally, interpretative studies offer a rich description and interpretation of a specific phenomenon in a given context – which is the case for culture in FB literature. However, a clear connection to outputs is yet a matter for further development.

This research argues against the paradigmatic incommensurability of culture in FB research, because both paradigms offer opportunities to advance the current knowledge on the phenomenon. Scientists may take advantage of prior findings in both approaches in order to enhance practical and academic understanding, following three different paths: i) search for an holistic perspective of culture in functionalist studies; ii) a more connected effort to organizational outputs in interpretative investigations; and iii) narratives as an appropriated data collection tool for both paradigms.

i) Astrachan, J. H. (2010). Strategy in Family Business: Toward a Multidimensional Research Agenda; ii) Astrachan, J. H., Klein, S. B., & Smyrnios, K. X. (2002). The F-PEC Scale of Family Influence: A Proposal for Solving the Family Business Definition Problem; iii) Barney, J. B. (1986). Organizational Culture: Can It Be a Source of Sustained Competitive Advantage? iv) Fletcher, D., Melin, L., & Gimeno, A. (2012). Culture and Values in Family Business - A Review and Suggestions for Future Research v) Meek, V. L. (1988). Organizational Culture: Origins and Weaknesses