Exploring the next generation socialisation to entrepreneurship in family businesses: insights from the Moroccan community

Abstract

Purpose In Morocco, due to the high rate of failure in generational transfers, many family businesses are threatened with disappearance. This paper aims to focus on entrepreneurship and seeks to understand how the family business maintains its entrepreneurial orientation through the family’s entrepreneurial socialisation of the next generation, which aims to prepare them for the role of family entrepreneur. The study aims both to describe the socialisation process and to understand the context necessary to place the young community in an entrepreneurial dynamic. Design/methodology/approach Using an exploratory approach, this paper favours the single case study; data were collected from five participants from both generations, then this study matches the interviews from the founding generation with those from the next generation; in addition to a triad at the employee level. Findings The analysis shows that the early participation alongside the founding generation in entrepreneurial processes, initiates a sense of entrepreneurship in the next generation and the confidence gradually builds up through the achievements of the latter; which, in turn, increases the possibility to set up innovative projects by giving the necessary autonomy to carry them out. Practical implications The document underlines the importance of establishing a culture of transmission to promote entrepreneurship amongst the young community to engage it in exploring and seeking new opportunities for development and innovation. Originality/value Studying the transmission of the entrepreneurial spirit through the prism of socialisation provides an understanding of the context necessary to place the next generation in an entrepreneurial dynamic.