Building on the current structural focus of the family firm discipline, this Concise Introduction provides a function-based, processual approach to the area. It rethinks the nature of the family firm, advancing a deeper understanding of its internal dynamics. Ramona Kay Zachary, Sharon M. Danes and Elisa Balabram offer comprehensive theories of the family firm, the best methods of investigation, and the relationships among the owning family, its business as well as how these are interconnected.