Large family enterprises are different from other kinds of large firms in Portugal. The formation of kinship
relationships found in the social context of large family firms is also of a different nature than those found in
other social groups. Both features are due to the overlapping of family and economic relations that characterises
large family firms. Based on research developed among large Portuguese family firms, this article analyses
changes in the succession for leadership positions in these organisations over the last 100 years. Although these
wealth entrepreneurial families are strongly rooted on traditional social values (as they claim their aristocratic
origin) they develop strong strategies to integrate modernity symbols and meritocratic criteria in the
incorporation of relatives into the firm. I will argue that the articulation of family tradition with modern economic
rationality is central to the survival of traditional large family firms in contemporary world economy.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
