Growth through Innovation and Internationalization: Exploring the role of family business identity through narrative analysis

The aim of this chapter is to illustrate the value of narratives both as a means through which family business identity is created and as a research methodology that allows us to uncover individual and family level processes in family businesses. We present a unique case of a family business that has combined innovation and internationalization strategies in a fiercely competitive industry, creating a dynamic virtuous circle that has allowed the business to grow quickly and become successful. Through narrative analysis of the case study, we illustrate how the organization's collective identity has been shaped by internal (low family goal diversity and high family cohesion) and external factors (presence of non-family members on the advisory board and presence of international networks). We find that the idiosyncratic combination of these factors has contributed to creating a unique family business identity that has spurred the organization along its growth trajectory through innovation and internationalization.