Bringing context to the foreground: Explaining the early-stage career development of next-generation family business members

Abstract

This study employs an interpretive grounded theory approach to explore how family contexts shape the early-stage career development of next-generation family business members (next-gens) in succession and non-succession careers. Career theories suggest that early-stage career development is an outcome of individual–context interaction. However, the current literature on careers in a family business offers limited insights into the enabling and constraining contexts within the family, such as the family social system, marriage, traditions, and cultural environment. In line with the systems theory framework of career development, our findings demonstrate that individual and family contextual interactions not only shape the careers of next-gens but also drive variations in succession and non-succession careers. Our study contributes to the literature by constructing an early-stage career development model that helps to explain the importance of marriage and family traditions in the early-stage career development of next-gen family business members.