From the guest editors: learning patterns and approaches to family business education around the world - Issues, insights, and research agenda

In this introductory article, we first map the different learning types and needs— and their related educational challenges— across different phases of the family members’ involvement with the controlled business. We do so by drawing on recent and established contributions in the family business scholarly field. This overview is organized by the sequential stages that members of a controlling family typically experience: in the early days of their experience within the entrepreneurial family; as they prepare for whatever role they will eventually cover; as they enter and advance in this role; as they eventually succeed senior-generation members in family and business leadership roles. This approach allows us to capture the significant variety of learning needs and related educational and training initiatives that surface in each stage. We then synthesize the key contents of the published papers in the context of this framework to offer an encompassing overview of available knowledge and practice in the field of family business knowledge and education. Finally, we outline an agenda for additional research on family business learning and education, drawn froma comparison of our map of needs and approaches and the existing knowledge and education tools emerging from extant literature and practice.