The effect of tribalism, Islam and nationalism in the family capital - family firm resilience relationship in Arab countries: evidence from Western Sahara

Regarded as the resource stock that composes the family firm's resilience capacity, family capital is dependent on family values as well as on organisational, social, and national factors. Some of the studies undertaken on family firms resilience have mainly focused on western contexts, overlooking some other relevant settings such as Arab countries where western values yet to be adopted. To address the gaps, this study examines how two influential factors of Arab family firms' management impact on the relationship between family capital and family firm's resilience: the tribal-oriented values and Islamic values. Moreover, by focusing on a set of five Arab family firms located on a unique Arab territory where a minority community (Sahrawi) has developed an own necessary idiosyncrasy to survive among the powerful dominant (Moroccan) social capital, this research also shed light on how nationalism affects the impact of family capital on organisational resilience. The findings of this study show that tribalism, Islamic values and nationalism are critical determinants of family firms' survival in Arab settings.