I am Assistant Professor of Management at UCA, Morocco, and Visiting Researcher at AUS, Switzerland. I am also a member of the Family Firm Institute (FFI).
My research focuses on family business, strategy, and sustainability. Current projects address family culture, succession, and corporate sustainability, including the development of the Family Business Conservatism Scale (FBC scale). I also advise, publish, and speak internationally on family business and strategy.
This paper explores the cultural conservatism of family businesses in Morocco and its implications for strategic and organizational behaviours. Drawing on the Gioia methodology, qualitative data were collected from twelve Moroccan family businesses representing diverse industries, sizes, generations, and locations. The findings reveal that cultural conservatism in Moroccan family businesses is characterized by a collective culture that promotes solidarity, internal coordination, and blurred boundaries between family and work. A culture of conformity is prevalent, leading to increased stability of relationships and a shared vision and values within family businesses. In addition, the culture of conservation emphasizes the protection of identity, preservation of tradition, and continuity of family control. These cultural characteristics shape the strategic decisions and behaviors of family businesses, contributing to their unique competitive advantage. This paper highlights the importance of balancing tradition with adaptation in achieving sustainable performance in family businesses. The findings offer valuable insights for practitioners and scholars interested in understanding the impact of cultural conservatism on family businesses in the Moroccan context. Further research is recommended to validate the findings quantitatively and explore the role of other stakeholders in family businesses.
This chapter examines family business governance as a model for sustainability, drawing on agency theory, stewardship theory, stakeholder theory, and socioemotional wealth theory. The aim is to understand how governance mechanisms in family firms contribute to long-term success and how these can be applied to other corporate forms. The study focuses on three key areas: implementing long-term incentive structures, cultivating a culture of stewardship and legacy, and balancing financial and non-financial goals in corporate governance. The analysis suggests that these elements can significantly enhance organizational sustainability when adapted to non-family contexts. This chapter contributes to the understanding of sustainable governance practices and offers practical implications for businesses seeking to enhance their long-term viability and societal impact.
Cet article étudie l’impact du conservatisme culturel sur les entreprises familiales d’un point de vue sociologique, en s’appuyant sur des théories telles que la théorie du capital social, la théorie de l’identité sociale, la théorie de l’interactionnisme symbolique, la théorie du conflit et la théorie des ressources. L’objectif est de comprendre comment le conservatisme culturel, défini comme la résistance au changement, la persistance des croyances traditionnelles et le maintien du statu quo, influence les processus décisionnels, l’organisation et la posture stratégique des entreprises familiales. L’étude se concentre sur le cas des entreprises familiales marocaines, où le conservatisme culturel s’avère une variable cruciale, représentant les valeurs et les croyances de leurs fondateurs. Les résultats de cette réflexion indiquent que le conservatisme culturel peut entraîner un manque de diversité dans les processus de gestion et de prise de décision, une structure organisationnelle rigide et une résistance au changement et à l’innovation. Cela peut, en fin de compte, entraver la compétitivité des entreprises familiales. L’article défend une approche équilibrée qui prend en considération la nécessité de préserver la tradition et la continuité intergénérationnelle tout en s’adaptant au changement afin d’assurer la pérennité des entreprises familiales.
We welcome conceptual and empirical contributions that examine leadership and entrepreneurial behaviour in family businesses across differe…