Family offices: uma perspectiva da sua institucionalização no Rio Grande do Sul e em Minas Gerais

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the institutionalization of organizations Family Offices in Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais. The Family Office, in the context of this thesis, would be the organization used by entrepreneurs’ families in order to, among other purposes, to preserve the family estate. Through literature review it was identified that the issue is still little explored academically, justifying an exploratory study. From the prospective of the Institutional Theory, both by economic bias, (property preservation) and the social bias (search for legitimacy - isomorphism) it was performed a content analysis of 22 interviews conducted with people related to 13 different organizations Family Offices, two executives of a family company and a private banker, which became possible to identify that organizations Family Offices are of two types: organizations Single Family Offices and organizations Multi Family Offices. The organizations Family Offices have distinct development stages and are usually linked with the family governance. The governance rules are established through two mechanisms: family protocol and family council, and in some situations, the organizations Family Offices are mixed with these mechanisms. Additionally, families seek to formalize values that should guide the conduct of its members both in internal and external relationships. The organizations Family Offices do not necessarily have a legal structure, except in cases where they provide financial services. In this situation, in addition to observing the rules established by the family protocol, are also subject to specific regulations imposed by the state. These regulations, despite incipient, would be a characteristic factor of coercive isomorphism. However, the search for legitimacy occurs from the use of specialized consultant, a characteristic factor of normative isomorphism or by exchanging experiences with other entrepreneurs’ families, a characteristic factor of mimetic isomorphism.