Entrepreneurial settings within global family firms: research perspectives from cross-cultural knowledge management studies

An organisational culture is composed of beliefs that are shared by the members of a group and endure over time, even when the management team changes. These beliefs nurture new entrepreneurs, mainly in family firms in which the sense of traditions and values fuels the business growth. This is then passed on to future generations through a cross-generational culture approach. Therefore, in line with this, the present research investigates the evolution of the cross-generational culture and its effects on the entrepreneurial mindset. Following Hofstedes model (1980; 2011), the research analyses in depth a case study of a large family firm based in southern Italy. A threefold contribution is made to the literature: first, the relevance of the evolution of family firms culture over the generations; secondly the enhancement of the entrepreneurial mindset, converting the family business culture into the virtual reality; and also the improvement of Hofstedes model, offering an action research and a different point of view of culture based on differences not of national cultures but of generational culture.