Leadership, Kinship Relations and Organizational Configuration: A Comparative Study of Three Family Businesses in China
Abstract An increasing volume of study has addressed the importance of leadership when doing business in China. However, few researchers have associated leadership with kinship relations in Chinese family businesses. This paper, assuming that there is a close relationship between leadership composi...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2010
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/23858/ |
| _version_ | 1848792647103152128 |
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| author | CHI, Zhijian |
| author_facet | CHI, Zhijian |
| author_sort | CHI, Zhijian |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Abstract
An increasing volume of study has addressed the importance of leadership when doing business in China. However, few researchers have associated leadership with kinship relations in Chinese family businesses. This paper, assuming that there is a close relationship between leadership composition and organizational configuration, explores how kinship relations of family businesses influence leadership behaviour and leadership effectiveness in China, and further organizational structure and culture, major components of organizational configuration.
The method of case study is used to conduct this study. The findings of the three case studies are based on a qualitative research, in which 12 semi-structured interviews were carried out in three Chinese family businesses with different leadership composition. The study revealed that different kinship relations constituting the leadership of family businesses do exert some influence on organizational configuration, which can be reflected in the similarities and discrepancies on the structuring of activities and founder centrality, and distinct emphasis on ethical virtues originated from the Confucian ideology. It is hoped that an in-depth study, further a thorough understanding of the effect of leadership composition on organizational configuration, for the good, the bad or neither, might be conducive to the survival, continuity, and improvement of Chinese family businesses. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:47:43Z |
| format | Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-23858 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:47:43Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-238582022-03-21T16:07:49Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/23858/ Leadership, Kinship Relations and Organizational Configuration: A Comparative Study of Three Family Businesses in China CHI, Zhijian Abstract An increasing volume of study has addressed the importance of leadership when doing business in China. However, few researchers have associated leadership with kinship relations in Chinese family businesses. This paper, assuming that there is a close relationship between leadership composition and organizational configuration, explores how kinship relations of family businesses influence leadership behaviour and leadership effectiveness in China, and further organizational structure and culture, major components of organizational configuration. The method of case study is used to conduct this study. The findings of the three case studies are based on a qualitative research, in which 12 semi-structured interviews were carried out in three Chinese family businesses with different leadership composition. The study revealed that different kinship relations constituting the leadership of family businesses do exert some influence on organizational configuration, which can be reflected in the similarities and discrepancies on the structuring of activities and founder centrality, and distinct emphasis on ethical virtues originated from the Confucian ideology. It is hoped that an in-depth study, further a thorough understanding of the effect of leadership composition on organizational configuration, for the good, the bad or neither, might be conducive to the survival, continuity, and improvement of Chinese family businesses. 2010-09-18 Dissertation (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/23858/1/10Lixzc6_MA_Dissertation.pdf CHI, Zhijian (2010) Leadership, Kinship Relations and Organizational Configuration: A Comparative Study of Three Family Businesses in China. [Dissertation (University of Nottingham only)] (Unpublished) |
| spellingShingle | CHI, Zhijian Leadership, Kinship Relations and Organizational Configuration: A Comparative Study of Three Family Businesses in China |
| title | Leadership, Kinship Relations and Organizational Configuration: A Comparative Study of Three Family Businesses in China |
| title_full | Leadership, Kinship Relations and Organizational Configuration: A Comparative Study of Three Family Businesses in China |
| title_fullStr | Leadership, Kinship Relations and Organizational Configuration: A Comparative Study of Three Family Businesses in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leadership, Kinship Relations and Organizational Configuration: A Comparative Study of Three Family Businesses in China |
| title_short | Leadership, Kinship Relations and Organizational Configuration: A Comparative Study of Three Family Businesses in China |
| title_sort | leadership, kinship relations and organizational configuration: a comparative study of three family businesses in china |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/23858/ |