Flexibility in Norwegian family-owned enterprises

This article discusses whether family ownership affects a firm's adoption of flexible manpower and organization practices. The results presented in the article show that the important divide is not between family-owned and nonfamily businesses: family businesses with a professional top manager differ from nonfamily firms only as regards one of seven flexibility measures. More important is whether the owners choose to be in charge of the day-to-day running of the firm themselves (owner-management) or leave it to a professional manager. In owner-managed family businesses, five out of seven practices for increased flexibility prevail less frequently than in both family businesses with a professional manager and nonfamily firms. Owner-managers are, then, more skeptical of adopting new management principles and personnel policies than are professional managers.