Influencing elements on the decision-making process of commercial directors in family enterprises: A comparative study between organizations in Catalonia (Spain) and Barranquilla (Colombia)

Abstract

Commercial managers are links between their organizations and their markets. They are responsible for several decisions, in which many other people take part under different circumstances. This study analyzes the influencing elements in the decision-making processes of commercial managers who work in family enterprises. As a first step, the researchers held in-depth interviews to commercial directors of family enterprises in Catalonia (Spain). The same instrument was used then in Barranquilla (Colombia). As result of the analysis under a systemic approach, the authors established flow diagrams showing the commercial directors’ decision processes. Nine subsystems emerged from the analysis: external to the enterprise, environment, enterprise, family-property, direction staff, other enterprise members, working team, and commercial director. Relationships among commercial directors and the other subsystems were determined showing that these subsystems may start, promote, reinforce, slow down, modify, stop or invalidate decisions of commercial directors. These influences from the other subsystems on decisions of commercial directors were found to be strong, with little differences, in both Catalonia and Barranquilla.