Success Themes in Scottish Family Enterprises: Philosophies and Practices Through the Generations

Abstract

A series of workshops were held in Scotland to help family business managers identify and overcome obstacles to success. Core themes that emerged were family values, responsiveness to change, and family dynamics. The findings suggest that family enterprises have unique developmental characteristics with implications for economic and business development frameworks such as those in Scotland, which do not differentiate family businesses. A model is presented to analyze and categorize family enterprises in order to illustrate the issues facing family enterprises. The model provides insights into the source and effect of family values and family dynamics on the business and fosters business growth and development.