Marmara Bölgesi'nde bulunan orta ölçekli aile şirketlerinde çevreyi inceleme ve kurumsallaşma olgusunun yorumlanması

Why are some mid-size family firms quick to institutionalize their structures while othersare slow to let go the power that comes with informal ways of organizing? Owner-managers? personality and scanning are suggested as drivers behind variance inperceptions of institutionalization in family firms as well as variance in planning futureinstitutionalization. Specifically, the role of need for cognition and regulatory focus,organizational size and perceived environmental uncertainty are examined for theirrelationships with managers? environmental scanning, interpretations ofinstitutionalization and action towards institutionalism in middle-sized family firms.Survey data were collected from owner-managers of 90 middle-sized familymanufacturing firms in Gebze and Istanbul, Turkey. Findings revealed the importance ofscanning through external sources on the issue interpretation as an opportunity and as anecessity. Managers who had high levels of need for cognition tended to scan theirenvironments more, and interpret institutionalism as an opportunity and a necessity, butnot as a threat for family firms. Interpretations of institutionalism failed to predict actionplans towards institutionalism, but found to be related to current levels of institutionalismof the firms. Promotion regulatory focus levels of the managers did not predictopportunity/threat interpretations or action plans towards institutionalism; however,prevention regulatory focus was revealed to be a strong predictor of environmentalscanning, opportunity/threat interpretations and action plans.Keywords: Environmental scanning, interpretation, institutionalism, need forcognition, environmental uncertainty, regulatory focus, middle-sized firm, familyfirms