Book Description

'Bringing the family and its related complexity back into the discussion of how to build healthy and long-term oriented relationships in business families, Annika Hall's book is both comprehensive and profound. It's a must-read for every family member involved in a family business, whether as owner, manager, potential successor, or as a family member of a business family.' – Sabine B. Rau, WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, Germany 'A crisp thought provoking book in which Annika Hall deftly brings to life the multiple dimensions and rationalities in family enterprises. She skilfully interprets these complexities in the fascinating story of the Indiska Magasinet AB (Indiska), a third generation Swedish retail enterprise of the Thambert family, from the pre-founding years until the beginning of the 21st century. Scholars and practitioners alike will enjoy gaining a richer perspective and deeper understanding of family enterprises.' – Pramodita Sharma, University of Vermont, US and Editor, Family Business Review This engaging book reveals how and why family relations influence the dynamics of family owned businesses. The author examines the relevance of role and identity to the strategic development and the succession process of family businesses. She explores the individual and organisational implications of these roles and identities at different stages in the family and business life cycles. Annika Hall highlights that family businesses have inherent dynamics, rooted in family relations, that might advantage business development assuming that the family is able to meet the inherent challenges of role transition. The book connects micro, socio-psychological aspects to more macro business outcomes, with the purpose of elaborating how and why these connections are made. Expertly integrating a detailed case study and by concluding with concrete advice, the closeness to practice is explicit and therefore strongly appealing to practitioners. By also integrating the practice with theory, the book will prove essential for academics and students of interpretive methodology and/or family business.