Human resources and mutual gains in family firms: New developments and possibilities on the horizon

Human resources are paramount to family firms and to families in business because they are essential for achieving human flourishing and building family businesses that last for generations. Despite the increasing focus on HR in recent years, our understanding of the drivers, processes, and outcomes of family firm HR practices is still in its infancy. As a result, the development of useful theory has opportunity to grow. The aim of our Special Issue is to demonstrate the power of the mutual gains perspective to advance actionable insights around HR issues in family business scholarship and practice. Toward this aim, this Special Issue presents five research articles that have taken the mutual gains perspective to heart in their own ways, making significant contributions not only to the family business field but also to the HRM domain and beyond. Inspired by, but also going beyond the articles in this Special Issue, we develop concrete ideas and questions that flesh out new developments and possibilities on the horizon, using the following question as a leitmotiv: “How can family business research and practice help create healthy, flourishing family firms for flourishing people (family and nonfamily), taking into account the heterogeneity of family firms and families in business?” • Nurturing human potential, well-being, and flourishing are central elements of organizational behavior and decision-making. • Mutual gains in stakeholder relationships make family firms and owning families outperform and last across generations. • A mutual gains view empowers generating actionable knowledge around HR issues in family business research and practice. • The article highlights new developments and exciting possibilities on the horizon.