Dynasting across cultures: A grounded theory of Malaysian Chinese family firms.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a substantive grounded theory of Malaysian Chinese family firms. Using classic grounded theory methodology, this study sought to identify the emergent main concern of the participants as well as the latent pattern underlying their behavior in working to resolve or address the main concern. Through constant comparative analysis of data gathered from interviews, participant observations, informal conversations, and relevant literature, I discovered the emergent main concern for Malaysian Chinese family businesses to be dynasting and the pattern of behavior for resolving that concern to be dynasting across cultures. Malaysian Chinese family businesses are theorized as mainly concerned with dynasting, that is, building, maintaining, and growing the power and resources of the business within the family lineage. In their substantive context, traditional Malaysian Chinese founders and westernized successors are hypothesized to be engaged in basic social structural and psychological processes of dynasting across cultures, where they struggle to transition from traditional Chinese to hybrid cultural and modernized forms of family business from one generation to the next. An analysis of extant literature revealed that the emergent theory contributes to family business theorizing in a novel way, and the study itself addresses the lack of literature on rigorous and scholarly theorizing about family businesses outside Western contexts. Implications of the theory and the study for research and practice are discussed.