Tradition, as revealed in family businesses, is both a compass and a canvas. It roots enterprises in their history while enabling them to innovate and adapt. This manifesto emerges from an understanding of tradition as a dynamic process—a constant interplay between past, present, and future.

1. Tradition as a Foundation

Family businesses embody traditions inherited from their forebears. These traditions are not static relics but active legacies that provide stability, shape identities, and anchor values. Tradition offers a sense of purpose and continuity, thus fostering unity.

2. Tradition as Process

Tradition is not merely what is inherited but what is enacted and reinterpreted. Family businesses must see tradition as a verb rather than a noun, that is, a series of practices, narratives, and symbols redefined daily through action. Repetition and novelty, preservation and evolution coexist, driving growth and innovation.

3. Dualities in Tradition

The success of family businesses lies in their ability to navigate dualities:

• Repetition vs. Novelty: Preserving what works while daring to innovate.

• Preservation vs. Abandonment: Keeping what is meaningful while shedding what no longer serves.

• Being vs. Appearing: Authenticity over mere perception.

• Certainty vs. Possibility: Balancing confidence in traditions with openness to the unknown.

4. The Intergenerational Stewardship

Each generation in a family business is a steward of its legacy. They inherit not just assets but values, practices, and narratives that define the enterprise. Stewardship means honoring the past, adapting to the present, and preparing for the future.

5. Innovation Through Tradition

Tradition is not the antithesis of innovation. Instead, it is its substrate. Family businesses excel when they harness their heritage as a springboard for creativity, branding, and reinvention, turning their distinct history into a competitive advantage.

6. Reflexive Tradition

Tradition requires mindfulness. Family businesses must engage in reflective practices to discern what traditions truly matter and how they align with contemporary realities. This reflexivity ensures that tradition remains a source of strength, not stagnation.

7. A Commitment to Community

Tradition in family businesses is intertwined with the broader cultural, social, and economic fabric. Businesses must embrace their role as stewards of communal values, nurturing not only their enterprises but the communities they inhabit.

Call to Action

We, researchers and practitioners of tradition in family enterprise, commit to:

1. Cherishing the heritage while boldly embracing change.

2. Viewing tradition as a living process and a meaningful outcome.

3. Cultivating practices that honor the past and secure the future.

4. Acting as stewards of both the enterprises and the communities we serve.

In tradition lies our legacy and also our potential. Let us uphold it with courage, humility, and innovation.