What could be more important than money? : A qualitative study on how decision-making is affected by organizational identity in family businesses

Sammanfattning: Family business is a vital form of business with high representation across the world, yet the majority do not make it past the second generation. This study explores how organizational identity affects the decision-making process in family businesses. By looking at how family values affect decision-making in internal processes specifically seeks to uncover how family businesses can benefit from understanding and utilizing their organizational identity. The study thereby addresses a gap within existing business literature on how organizational identity affects internal processes in family businesses. This study was based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with six managers from three Swedish family businesses. The collected data were analyzed through a thematic analysis. The findings showed four justifications as to how organizational identity impacts decision-making in a family business. Findings revealed that organizational identity does have a presence in decision-making and that the owning family plays a big role in shaping the organizational identity.