Family systems, family business systems and system dynamics

This research seeks to understand the dynamics caused by the intersection between two systems that have been used as approaches to understanding the family and family businesses. Initially, approaches to understanding families taking a systematic or process approach have focused on the needs of family therapists often using communication roles or goal seeking behavior) as foci. Family business research has also taken a system approach with respect to both time and family sub-systems. This paper looks at the interactions of these two systematic approaches to examining families and families businesses using four concepts from system dynamics. The impacts of path dependence, carry capacity, goal adjustment behavior and the tipping point concept are applied to both systems, using a computer simulation model, to develop a more comprehensive approach to examining family business dynamics and the interactions between the family system and business system.Department of Management and Marketing2015-2016 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalbcm