How do Chinese family firm founders manage family and business identities? A paradox perspective.

Paradox theory has been increasingly adopted in both
organisational studies and in family business research. Current
Western paradox studies offer great insights on how to manage
persistent tensions through a ‘both/and’ perspective, scholars
argue that specific environmental conditions or individual
cognitive framing may influence on how leaders perceive and
manage paradoxical tensions. Furthermore, it is also found
that culture has a direct impact on how individual frame
contradictions. However, to date, the role of such institutional
factors has been rarely addressed. This paper examines how
family firm leaders manage tensions under the specific Chinese
institutional context that offers unique cultural aspects and
rapid institutional changes. Findings indicate that the specific
institutional context facilitates leaders’ perception of tensions
in family firms from a paradoxical perspective rather than a
dilemma, and enables leaders to manage tensions in effective
strategies. However, as institutions change, such perception
and management strategies may change as well.