Gestión y sucesión en empresas familiares: Revisión bibliométrica

Family businesses represent a fundamental pillar in most global economic structures and one of the central topics of study is intergenerational succession. This research analyses the scientific production on family business management and succession using bibliometric methods. Metadata from 103 documents published in the Scopus database between 1999-2023 were analyzed. The results show that the field has been expanding since 1999, with exponential growth since 2015, led by authors from the United States, Italy and Spain, in specialized journals such as the Journal of Family Business Strategy. The scientific mapping identified family governance, succession planning and agency theory as central themes, revealing the emphasis on studying institutionalization and generational transfer in these companies. The spectroscopy rescued seminal contributions on unique resources, agency costs and patient capital by Penrose, Jensen & Meckling and Sirmon & Hitt, which laid solid theoretical foundations on the strategic particularities of family firms. The evidence points to an emerging academic community dedicated to the study of management and succession in family firms, with previous influential contributions, which should be further explored.