Abstract
PurposeFamily business in the Czech Republic has a very short history, which creates inequalities in the conditions of family business compared to other countries. The aim is to find out whether, despite the disadvantages resulting from historical development, the approach of Czech family business owners to digitization differs from that of business owners existing in an environment with a long history of family business.Design/methodology/approachThe respondents of the online questionnaire survey conducted in spring 2024 are family business owners from the Czech Republic. About 500 valid responses were obtained, mainly from small manufacturing businesses. The hypotheses were statistically verified. To analyse the relationships between variables, coefficients were used (Pearson’s, Spearman’s, Gamma, Kendall’s or Kruskal–Wallis test). Factor analysis was used to identify hidden variables that may explain the relationships between the observed variables.FindingsKey findings related to the approaches of generations owned and managed to the implementation of digitization, the influence of non-family managers and owners, the main barriers to implementation or the expected benefits. The finding that, despite the large historical distance, the attitudes of historically young family businesses do not differ much from those of owners in countries with a long history of family businesses can be considered novelties. It demonstrates that family businesses are mainly influenced by their specific characteristics brought about by the intermingling of family and business, regardless of the history of the development of the business environment.Originality/valueThis research highlights a key insight into family business dynamics: the cultural and historical context appears to have a less significant impact on owners’ attitudes than the inherent characteristics shared across family businesses. In essence, the unique blend of family and business interests creates commonalities that transcend geographical or historical differences. Comparing family business owners from the former “Eastern Bloc” and those from countries that have not been hampered by this social scrutiny provides a new perspective in the discipline of family business. Groups of barriers to the introduction of digitization were identified, namely resources, changes, data security and employees.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call