The Longevity of Small Family Businesses in Historical Narratives of Their Members

• Autor(a) principal: Vier Machado, Hilka Pelizza
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Ros, Douglas
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista Ibero Americana de Estratégia - RIAE
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.uninove.br/riae/article/view/15190
• topic: Administração; Longevidade. Empresas familiares. Narrativas históricas; Long-lasting small business; Organizational Decline; Historical Narratives

Objective of the study: The objective of this research was to understand the longevity of small family businesses from memories of their members. Methodology/approach: The method was the oral history using historical narratives. The unit of analysis was two small, long-lasting companies. The research subjects were, for each of the companies, one of the founders, a successor and the oldest employee. The data were analyzed according to the structural analysis. Originality/Relevance: The research approached the longevity of small businesses from the memory and historical narratives of members of the companies, resulting in a more dynamic and interactive interpretation of longevity. Main results: Results pointed to different trajectories of small long-standing family businesses. In the first case, four moments were identified, which resulted in creation, growth, decline and continuity. In the second case, two moments were observed: consolidation and growth. For both cases the succession was an important event in the trajectory of the companies. Theoretical/methodological contributions: The use of historical narratives and oral history in the study of small longevity businesses represents a contribution of this research, highlighting the relevance of aspects associated with longevity in small family businesses, such as decline and succession. With this, the results present theoretical and methodological contributions to the fields of studies in strategy, Entrepreneurship and Family Businesses.