Omnia Khaled

Description or Abstract

Purpose: Sustainability is gaining increasing importance, and family businesses—with their unique characteristics such as long-term vision and the influence of family values— play a crucial role in this context. However, generational dynamics within business families (founder, current leader, rising generation) can significantly shape the firm’s approach to environmental issues, given the differences in perspectives, values, and experiences. Existing literature, though expanding, has not sufficiently explored how these internal generational differences interact to form the collective environmental awareness of business families and how this is reflected in the firm’s strategic direction and actual environmental performance. There is a lack of conceptual frameworks linking generational gap theories, environmental psychology, and family business management. This research aims to fill this knowledge gap by exploring and understanding the nature of potential differences in environmental awareness and priorities across successive generations within family businesses and analyzing the mechanisms through which these differences influence environmental strategic decisions and performance. The study seeks to propose a conceptual model that illustrates these complex relationships, paving the way for deeper understanding of how internal generational dynamics shape the environmental trajectory of family firms.

Design/methodology/approach: Given its exploratory nature and the goal of building theoretical understanding, this study adopts a qualitative methodology based primarily on qualitative content analysis of publicly available data. This approach will focus on analyzing various documents (annual and sustainability reports, website content, media statements) from a purposive sample of family firms that disclose generational and/or sustainability-related information. Materials will be thematically analyzed to identify indicators of environmental awareness, priorities, and strategies, and their potential linkage to different generations (via temporal shifts or attributed statements). Supporting theoretical frameworks (such as generational theory) and secondary literature reviews will contextualize the findings. This approach enables in-depth understanding and the development of a conceptual model that can serve as a basis for future empirical research.

Anticipated Findings: The study is expected to reveal noticeable variations in environmental awareness and priorities among different generations. Younger generations (Millennials/Gen Z) may show more progressive attitudes and stronger commitment to integrated sustainability, potentially pushing for more ambitious environmental strategies and green investments. In contrast, older generations may focus on traditional economic considerations and regulatory compliance, viewing environmental initiatives without direct returns more cautiously. This generational variance is anticipated to lead to complex internal dynamics (tensions or collaboration) that shape the firm’s environmental strategy and performance. Mediating factors such as company size, industry, family culture, and governance structures are likely to influence these relationships.

Paper type: This paper is classified as a conceptual study. Its aim is to develop a theoretical framework to understand how differentiated environmental awareness across generations impacts family businesses' strategies and environmental performance. It synthesizes and discusses relevant literature, identifies potential relationships, and proposes explanatory mechanisms, offering a model that can underpin future empirical studies and provide insights for both scholars and practitioners.

Originality: The originality of this research lies in its intersection across three vital fields: generational studies, environmental awareness, and family business management. This intersection—specifically, the influence of generationally diverse environmental awareness on strategy and performance in family firms—remains underexplored. The study makes a valuable theoretical contribution by developing a conceptual framework that integrates these domains and highlights potential mechanisms. Such understanding is crucial for academic advancement and for managerial practices amid generational transitions and growing sustainability pressures.

Social/practical implications: The findings can help family firms and their leaders better understand and manage generational dynamics related to environmental issues, facilitating internal dialogue and the development of more inclusive and aligned sustainability strategies. Consultants can leverage the insights to support their clients. On a societal level, understanding how family firms approach environmental challenges can aid policymakers and supporting organizations in designing more effective initiatives to promote responsible environmental practices in this key sector, contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Limitations: The main limitations include reliance on publicly available data, which may not accurately reflect internal realities, and the conceptual nature of the paper, which requires empirical testing for validation and generalization. Isolating the generational awareness effect from other intertwined factors may be challenging, and generational definitions/classifications may be somewhat simplified. The research provides theoretical insights that need to be substantiated by empirical evidence.

Future research: The study opens avenues for future research: conducting empirical (quantitative and qualitative) studies to validate the framework; exploring mediating and moderating factors (such as governance structures, family cohesion, industry pressures); expanding the scope to diverse cultural and industrial contexts; investigating the impact of environmental awareness and training programs targeting business families; and adopting longitudinal perspectives to trace the evolution of environmental awareness and strategies across generations.

Keywords

Generational gap, corporate sustainability, environmental governance, family business, generational dynamics.

Department

Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Program

MENA Family Business Research Conference

Performance Date

2025-10-25

Content Type

Conference Proceeding

File Type

Transcript

Language

eng

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