Female Successors and Family Business Resilience; Multiple Case Studies on Family-Owned Retail Businesses

YANTONO, MAYLIVIA and Ardianti, R.R. Retno (2024) Female Successors and Family Business Resilience; Multiple Case Studies on Family-Owned Retail Businesses. International Journal of Family Business Practices, 7 (1). pp. 10-24. ISSN 2621-7325

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Abstract

The study investigates the resilience of family-owned retail businesses led by female successors, focusing on business strategies to sustain and grow their ventures. The aim of this study is to understand how motivation, competence, and family support contribute to these strategies and, consequently to business resilience. Family businesses face unique challenges in adapting to rapid environmental changes. The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant disruptions, particularly for small, family-owned retail businesses in Indonesia, forcing them to rapidly adopt new technologies and business processes. This study specifically examines the role of female successors in family-owned retail businesses for the resilience of their business ventures. This focus is relatively underexplored in the existing literature, which often emphasizes male leadership in family businesses. This study employs a multiple case study approach, selecting four female successors of family-owned retail businesses in a small city in Indonesia. Data was collected through preliminary observations and semi-structured interviews to explore the successors motivations, competencies, and family support in crafting and implementing business strategies. The study found that the female successors effectively implemented renewal and growth strategies. Their high motivation, continuous learning, and strong family support were crucial in driving these strategies. The businesses not only survived but also expanded during and after the pandemic, demonstrating resilience through survival, growth, and continuity. Our findings highlight the critical role of female successors in the resilience of family businesses. Motivation to continue the family legacy, coupled with acquired competencies and robust family support, enables these successors to implement adaptive and growth-oriented strategies for the resilience of their family businesses.

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