Family values follow entrepreneurs as they move to Europe

What happens to our values when we move across continents and start over? A new study shows that migrant entrepreneurs carry more than just their entrepreneurial experience. Family patterns and social obligations from their home countries continue to shape the way businesses are built and run in Europe – often in surprising ways.

In a new study, researchers surveyed 1 284 entrepreneurs in France and the UK, both European-born and migrants from Nigeria and Zimbabwe. The results show that values linked to family and community are carried over to the new country. These influence how entrepreneurs think, act and organize their business.

Two different family systems

The study compares two types of family systems. One is the nuclear family system, which is dominant in much of Europe, based on small households and emphasizing autonomy, freedom and individual goals. The other is legacy communal family systems, common in many sub-Saharan countries. Here, the focus is on the collective – the family, the kin and the local community. Relationships are based on strong ties and a clear expectation to contribute to the good of the group.

The researchers’ analysis shows that these differences in family systems continue to affect entrepreneurs long after migration. The sub-Saharan entrepreneurs in the study value family more highly than their European counterparts, and they also place greater emphasis on working hard, being persistent and raising their children in morality and obedience. They also emphasize their duty to care for elderly parents and to make the family proud. According to the study, such values are closely linked to how they run their businesses.

Entrepreneurs with a European background, on the other hand, have a more individualistic worldview. They place greater value on friendships and creativity in children, and are more likely to see work as something that may become less important in the future. For them, social responsibility is more linked to working and contributing financially, rather than to family duties.

Values and norms guide entrepreneurship

Another clear pattern in the study is how entrepreneurs perceive their place in society. Migrant entrepreneurs feel the strongest connection to smaller communities such as their home town or city. The local bond is stronger than the sense of belonging to a nation – and significantly stronger than the sense of being part of the world. This reflects how community and collective identity continue to be important building blocks in their entrepreneurial thinking.

The researchers argue that the results challenge the assumption that migrants adapt quickly and fully to host country norms. Values, norms and behaviors formed in the home country persist, and they influence how businesses are built, run and grow. This also means that migrant entrepreneurs often use both their origin and their new environment to forge their own path as entrepreneurs.

Finally, the study highlights that insights are not only important for research. They also have implications for advice, policy and practical support. Anyone who wants to understand or support migrant entrepreneurs needs to see the whole picture – not just the business idea, but also the traditions, values and social structures that remain a central part of the entrepreneur’s reality.

More about the article and the authors
The article Legacy communal family systems in entrepreneurship: a migrant entrepreneurship phenomenon in Europe is published in the scientific journal Entrepreneurship and Regional Development.

The authors are Amon Simba, Nottingham Trent University, UK and The University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, Eric Braune and Anne-Laure Boncori at INSEEC Grande École, France and Paul Jones, Swansea University, UK.