Family businesses may have several distinctive qualities that differentiate them from
non-family firms. Firstly, family firms have been known to maintain a defensive posture
that suggests a lack of growth or proactive orientation which has been suggested to lead to higher performance Secondly, these conservative positions suggest that they have a tendency towards a long-term orientation that avoids risk-taking This tendency leads to a third quality for a focus on survival, which suggests quick response and tight management control within the family structure These differences have led to distinctive decision making qualities to differentiate the family firm