The authors examine the relationship between the life cycles of fathers and sons who work together, concluding that the quality of the work relationship varies as a function of their respective life stages. The intersection of their individual developmental paths can have positive or negative effects on the nature of the work relationship, on the resolution of such problem issues as succession, and on productivity.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Barnes, L., and Hershon, S.“Transferring Power in the Family Business.”Harvard Business Review, July-August 1976, pp. 105–114.
2.
Barry, B.“The Development of Organization Structure in the Family Firm.”Journal of General Management, Autumn 1975, pp. 42–60.
3.
Beveridge, W. E.“Retirement and Life Significance: A Study of the Adjustment to Retirement of a Sample of Men at Management Level.”Human Relations, 1980, 33 (1), 69.
4.
Buhler, C.“The Curve of Life as Studied in Biographies.”Journal of Applied Psychology, 1955, 19, 405–409.
5.
Butrick, F. M.“When Father and Son Collide.”The Packer, December 30, 1978, p. 9A.
6.
Danco, L.Beyond Survival: A Business Owner's Guide for Success. Cleveland, Ohio: University Press, 1977.
7.
Davis, J., and Tagiuri, R.“The Incidence of Work Relationships Between Relatives in the Family Business.” Unpublished paper, Harvard Business School, 1981.
8.
Donnelley, R. G.“The Family Business.”Harvard Business Review, July-August 1964, pp. 93–105.
9.
Erikson, E. H.Childhood and Society. New York: Norton, 1950.
10.
Freud, S.“Dostoevsky and Patricide.” In J. Strachey (ed.), The Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud. Vol. 21. London: Hogarth, 1924.
11.
Gould, R.“The Phases of Adult Life: A Study in Developmental Psychology.”American Journal of Psychiatry, 1972, 129 (5), 521–531.
12.
Gould, R.Transformations: Growth and Change in Adult Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1978.
13.
Hershon, S.“The Problem of Management Succession in Family Businesses.” Doctoral dissertation, Harvard Business School, 1975.
14.
Kafka, F.Letter to His Father. New York: Schocken Books, 1970.
15.
Lansberg, I.“The Succession Conspiracy.”Family Business Review, 1988, 1 (2), 119–143.
16.
Levi, L. D., Stierlin, H., and Savard, R. J.“Fathers and Sons: The Interlocking Crisis of Integrity and Identity.”Psychiatry, 1972, 35.
17.
Levinson, D. J.The Seasons of a Man's Life. New York: Knopf, 1978.
18.
Levinson, H.“Conflicts That Plague the Family Business.”Harvard Business Review, March-April 1971, pp. 90–98.
19.
Mazlish, B.“The Changing Face of Oedipus: Father and Sons in Modern Times.”Columbia Forum, 1975.
20.
Miller, E., and Rice, A.Systems of Organization. New York: Harper & Row, 1973.
21.
Rank, O.Beyond Psychology. New York: Dover, Inc., 1958.
22.
Salk, L.My Father, My Son. New York: Putnam's, 1982.
Sonnenfeld, J.The Hero's Farewell: What Happens When CEOs Retire. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
25.
Swensen, C. H., Jr.Introduction to Interpersonal Relations. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1973.
26.
Tagiuri, R., and Davis, J.“Note on Work Relationships.” Unpublished paper, Harvard Business School, 1982.
27.
Vaillant, G. E.Adaptation of Life. Boston: Little, Brown, 1977.
28.
Vaillant, G. E. and MacArthur, C. C.“Natural History of Male Psychologic Health, I: The Adult Life Cycle from 18–50.”Seminars in Psychiatry, 1972, 4 (4), 417–429.
