Why and How Family Business Research Should Account for Differences Between Public and Private Family Firms

Steven D. Kofford, W. Gibb Dyer, Trenton Alma Williams, Erik Markin

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice · 2026 · Volume 50 · Issue 2

Abstract

This methodological brief explains why and how family business research should account for public/private ownership to better understand how family control and influence affect firm outcomes. To support our arguments, we review the methodologies used in family business studies and identify four methodological pitfalls that obscure heterogeneity in family firm private/public ownership. We propose practical solutions to address those pitfalls and apply them to a recent study, showing how accounting for private/public ownership alters its empirical findings. The implication of our brief is that more fine-grained methodological attention to public/private family firm ownership will enhance family business research.

Keywords

family business, ownership, methods, public firms, private firms

Enable JavaScript for citation tools and additional paper interactions.