The role of networking in the growth processes of family firms: an international study.

The paper aims to investigate the role of networks in the growth processes of family firms. The study adds to two main stream of literature, drawing together theoretical developments from the family firm realm and networking theory, to investigate the ways in which these structures and processes interact to facilitate and inhibit entrepreneurial growth. The paper also draws on international field data, thus adding to our knowledge of the context-specific nature of entrepreneurial growth processes, family firms, and networking. Growth strategies for many of the family firms studied tended to be driven by resources available within the family-firm nexus. Market and technology evaluations took place through quite formal, professional mechanisms in many cases. The usage of weak-ties, which has come to be seen of diminished importance for non-family entrepreneurs, appeared more significant for family-firm growth