Family businesses: Where roles, values and work-family relationships form a single picture

Abstract

This paper aims to contribute a Central-Eastern European perspective, more specifically, a Slovak one, to the qualitative psychological studies on family businesses (FBs). In this paper I present three case studies of small family firms in Eastern Slovakia focusing on three theory-driven psychological aspects of family businesses: roles, relationships, and values. Additionally, the paper analyses the strategies and actions undertaken by FBs during the Covid-19 lockdown. The respondents were six first generation FB founders and owners (who are also spouses). The author believes that the FB founders’ stories will contribute to a deeper understanding of how FB owners’ interactions and dynamics are mirrored in their roles, values, and relationships; in particular, multiple roles, the values of family and unity, and positive relationships. Moreover, the paper deepens our understanding of how FBs have been affected by the Covid-19 lockdowns, and how they responded to the initial phase of the unprecedented situation.