Gestão de uma empresa familiar do setor educacional: um estudo de caso.

Abstract

Family businesses, initiated and/or made by people from the same family, represent a significant market share in Brazil. These companies usually start from an entrepreneurial dream, and their activities tend to occur without a precise difference on what concerns the company and what is regarded to the family. In order to have a better understanding of the specificities of this segment, and it’s most common features, this paper aims to be a case of study about the Escola Santa Terezinha, a family business, of small proportions, located in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba. The main objective, which turns to be the guide the problematic of the research, is to identify the challenges faced by Escola Santa Terezinha, from the perspective of family management, in the perception of its managers. As for the methodological aspects, it is a qualitative research, of descriptive character. For data collection, there were made interviews with the managers of the company; and for the interpretation, from the transcript of these interviews, it was made the content analysis of the information gathered as related to the theoretical foundation held. As results, it was possible to observe many management challenges, some associated with failures in management processes, particularly regarding the lack of strategic planning; others arising out of the family involvement; and others arising from the relationship between the directors and their behavioral differences and perceptions about the activities and decisions. In addition, the company also suffers from some limitations imposed by the characteristics of the sector, as is the case of default, which is accentuated by the management format and the relationship between the school managers.