Flexible working could help more women lead family businesses, researchers say
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Digital workplace innovation could help more women entrepreneurs become leaders of family firms by making it easier to balance work and family life, according to new research from the University of East London.
The study argues that flexible digital working can help women take a greater role in strategic decision-making and leadership while maintaining family responsibilities. The paper is published in the journal Strategy & Leadership.
Although family businesses are often seen as family-friendly employers, the researchers argue they can face particular challenges in promoting women into leadership. In many family firms, leadership is passed from one generation to the next through informal family decisions rather than formal recruitment.
Traditional expectations about gender roles, together with the belief that leaders should always be physically present, can make it harder for women with caregiving responsibilities to be recognized as future successors.
The paper says digital workplace tools such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Workspace and cloud-based business systems can help change that by shifting the focus from physical presence to measurable performance. These technologies can help women contribute more visibly to leadership while balancing work and family life.
The paper proposes that digital workplace innovation can support women's leadership through four linked changes:
- Building confidence
- Creating more opportunities to take part in strategic decisions
- Increasing business knowledge
- Changing perceptions of who is ready to lead
However, the authors stress that technology alone is not enough. Family businesses also need cultures that value results over physical presence and actively support women in leadership roles.
Dr. Ozlem Ozdemir, from the Royal Docks School of Business and Law, said, "Family businesses are built around close relationships, but that does not automatically make them easier places for women to become leaders. It can be tougher for women family members to be seen as ambitious professionals. Digital workplace tools can help shift the focus from who is seen most often in the office to who is making the strongest contribution."
Co-author Professor Kirk Chang said, "Technology such as Microsoft Teams and cloud-based collaboration platforms can create new opportunities for talented women to demonstrate leadership. But lasting change depends on family businesses judging leaders by their performance rather than their physical presence."
The paper draws its conclusions by bringing together existing research. It proposes a framework showing how digital workplace innovation may improve work-life balance and support more women in becoming future leaders in family businesses.
More information
Ozlem Ozdemir et al, Women entrepreneurs and their leadership in family business: insights from digital workplace innovation, Strategy & Leadership (2026). DOI: 10.1108/sl-04-2026-0200
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Citation: Flexible working could help more women lead family businesses, researchers say (2026, July 30) retrieved 30 July 2026 from https://phys.org/news/2026-07-flexible-women-family-businesses.html
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