Generation and Gender Differences in Family Businesses: A New Psychological Perspective

Family businesses (FBs) are a particular type of organization where both family and business dimensions intertwine. In FB literature, family firms have been studied both from a personal and an organizational point of view. In this paper, we present a new psychological approach aimed at capturing intergenerational and gender-matching differences in 67 generational pairs of entrepreneurs from Italian family firms based on 16 implicit theories. These 16 implicit theories are grouped into three psychological processes. Considering the differences across generations and between same- and cross-gender pairs of entrepreneurs, paired samples t-tests highlighted processes where FB entrepreneurs differ the most. Results from same- and cross-gender pairs analyses create a complex picture that applies when considering intergenerational differences that are a key to planning ad hoc consultations for families and their companies. Educators, researchers and consultants working with FBs may find this study interesting for two reasons. They would learn about the implicit theories that guide the attitudes, emotions, and behaviours of entrepreneurs and they could use this knowledge to work with different generations of entrepreneurs, including same- or mixed-gender pairs of seniors and juniors, during the succession process.