%0 Journal Article
%T In a Family Way? A model of family firm identity maintenance by non
%A Camille Pradies
%A Julia Vincent Ponroy
%A Patrick L那
%J Organization Studies
%@ 1741-3044
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/0170840619836707
%X Focusing on the case of a successful French pharmaceutical family firm 每 VetCo, we develop a process model of family firm identity maintenance by non-family members. Being the first family-owned pharmaceutical actor exclusively dedicated to animal health worldwide, VetCo has a strong family firm identity. The maintenance of this identity is remarkable, as VetCo experienced a withdrawal of the owning family when its founder suddenly passed away and, later on, when other family members disengaged from operations. Using grounded theory, we build a process model of identity maintenance that emphasizes meaning multiplicity. Specifically, we identify three main mechanisms of meaning preservation 每 passing on the family legacy, unifying the metaphorical family and modelling the family business 每 and two mechanisms of meaning connection 每 holding on and bridging. In elaborating theory on family firm identity maintenance, this study contributes to family business and organizational identity scholarships
%K family firm
%K family firm identity
%K non-family members
%K organizational identity
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0170840619836707