But he left us much more than his confidence, and his willingness to take a chance. My father never lied; nor did he ever cheat anyone or take a dollar he didn’t honestly earn. He passed these values on, first to me and then, through me, to his grandchildren. It's funny how that worked. He never talked about these things, he just did them.
The last sentence above tells us something about the way cultural values are transmitted. Family members and others in the firm learn what's important and absorb the traditions of the firm simply by functioning as part of the organization.
Cultural Patterns in the Firm
The culture of a particular firm includes numerous distinctive beliefs and behaviors. By examining those beliefs and behaviors closely, we can discern various cultural patterns that help us understand the way in which the firm functions.
W. Gibb Dyer, Jr., a professor at Brigham Young University, has identified a set of cultural patterns that apply to three facets of family firms: the actual business, the family, and the governance (board of directors) of the business.
An example of a business pattern is a firm's system of beliefs and behaviors concerning the importance of quality. Members of an organization tend to adopt a common viewpoint concerning the extent to which effort, or even sacrifice, should be devoted to product and service quality. When leaders of a firm consistently demonstrate a commitment to quality, they encourage others to appreciate the same values. By decisions and practices that place a high priority on quality, therefore, leaders in a family business can build a business pattern that exhibits a strong commitment to producing high-quality goods and services.
1.3 Home Assignment. Family roles and relationships
1.3.1 Exercise 1. Read the text at home making notes the following way: in the left-side column put down the main statements, definitions or terms, in the right-side column your comments, thoughts, etc.
Vocabulary Notes:
simultaneous – одновременный;
to exert – напрягать (силы), оказывать влияние;
diligence – прилежание, усердие старание;
to counsel – давать совет, рекомендовать;
to perplex – ставить в тупик, запутывать, усложнять;
integral – неотъемлемый, существенный, целый;
to eclipse – затмевать, заслонять;
to dissipate – расточать, растрачивать (время, силы);
zest – интерес, энергия, живость;
strain – напряжение;
collaboration – сотрудничество, совместная работа;
to groom for – готовить к определенной деятельности, карьере;
aptitude – склонность, пригодность, способности;
bent – склонность, наклонность;
aspiration – стремление, сильное желание (достичь ч. –л.)
mould (AmE mold) – форма, лекало, шаблон; характер;
self-esteem – чувство собственного достоинства, самоуважение;
on one’s own – самостоятельно, по собственной инициативе.
Mom or Dad, the Founder
A common figure in family businesses is the man or woman who founded the firm and plans to pass it on to a son or a daughter. In most cases, the business and the family grow simultaneously. Some founders achieve a delicate balance between their business and family responsibilities. Others must exert great diligence to squeeze out time for weekends and vacations with the children.
Entrepreneurs who have children typically think in terms of passing the business on to the next generation. Parental concerns involved in this process include the following:
