What is it about?
By exploring the generative characteristics of firms through an Appreciative Inquiry approach, we are better placed to understand what works well in entrepreneurial family businesses. As such the article shifts the focus from a traditional “deficit orientated approach” that concentrates on problems to be solved. Our contribution lies in how, as a positive organizational lens, Appreciative Inquiry principles inform research in the entrepreneurial family business context.
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Why is it important?
Appreciative Inquiry presents opportunities for closing the gap between theory and practice. On the one hand you could be told your organization has a multitude of problems, issues, or challenges, and on the other hand you could present an environment where the organization gains an understanding of their “positive core”. Our article seeks to address the latter.
Perspectives
I hope the article gets researchers thinking about different ways to approach entrepreneurship and family business research. I personally found the Appreciative Inquiry approach to field research academically rigorous, practical, and rewarding. I hope, if nothing else, you find this article thought-provoking.
Dr Paul J. Woodfield
Auckland University of Technology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Appreciating Entrepreneurship: A New Approach for Field Research, Entrepreneurship Research Journal, January 2017, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1515/erj-2016-0027.
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