Culture and values in family business—A review and suggestions for future research

This article provides a review of key literature in the field of culture, values and family business by addressing three key questions. First, what is culture in a family business context and how can it be defined and conceptualized? Second, what can culture do for the family business? And third, which factors or attributes shape culture in family business? The article presents several suggestions for future research and previews the four articles included in the special issue on culture and values in family businesses.

► Values and cultural processes contribute to the distinctiveness and sustainability of family firms.
► Values and notions of culture are constructed, negotiated and enacted in relation to family dynamics.
► Studies of culture in family business are rich both empirically and conceptually.
► More research is needed on critical stances towards culture.