Creating and sustaining mutualistic well-being: Toward a theory of family and business symbiosis

This paper addresses a question that is fundamental to the domain of family business research yet still inadequately addressed by the field’s predominant theories: Why are some family business systems able to create and sustain the simultaneous health of both the business and the family over generations, whereas many others experience an erosion in the well-being of one sphere relative to the other? Invoking analogical theorizing, we demonstrate the fruitfulness of applying key concepts from biological research on symbiotic relationships between organisms of different species. More specifically, we suggest that the area’s distinction between mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism provides a useful vocabulary for conceptualizing the heterogeneity evident amongst family business systems. By delineating factors that are likely to influence the nature and strength of a family business system’s symbiotic relationship, we hope that our conceptual framework helps guide future research on why, when, and how the interdependence between family and business can range—and sometimes shift—along a continuum from strong mutualism to strong parasitism.