The authors examined cohesion, conflict, group potency, shared strategic cognition (i.e. the extent that TMTs share mental models about strategy) in 44 parental, 78 familial, and 102 non-family TMTs. Companies were selected in 1994, 1996, and 1999 from the inc. 500, a list of the fastest growing private firms in the U.S. in that year. Familial or loosely constructed family TMTs appeared to be the most dysfunctional with the highest level of relationship conflict among the three groups while parent-child businesses were the opposite. "Parental teams may have had years, prior to the business, to establish the values of responsibility and accountability," the authors explain.
This study is published in the latest issue of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article please email JournalNews@bos.blackwellpublishing.com .
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (ET&P) is a leading scholarly journal in the field of entrepreneurship studies. The journal's mission is to publish original papers which contribute to the advancement of the field of entrepreneurship. It is the official journal of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Michael D. Ensley, of the Lally School of Management & Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Allison W. Pearson, of the College of Business & Industry at Mississippi State University are experts in the area of management teams. They have conducted and published several research studies in this area of organizational science.
Dr. Ensley is available for questions and interviews.
Dr. Pearson is available for questions and interviews
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice