Improving continuity by simplifying the structure of family firms: a replication study

Abstract

This study replicates a research undertaken in 2008 by Lambrecht and Lievens, Pruning the Family Tree: An Unexplored Path to Family Business Continuity and Family Harmony. Adopting an extended replication approach, this work analyzes a sample of family firms in Sardinia to investigate how and why family businesses prune the family tree to safeguard family harmony and business continuity. Our findings confirm that pruning is an effective strategy for managing complexity, increasing firm performance, and supporting succession plans. We extend the original study by stressing the relevance of pruning during succession.