Family SMEs in Poland and Their Strategies: The Multi-Criteria Analysis in Varied Socio-Economic Circumstances of Their Development in Context of Industry 4.0

The growing importance of family businesses in the global economy is related to the specificity of their activities, the increase in their contribution to GDP creation or providing jobs. It prompted the authors of this article to research these particular entities belonging to the small business. Considering the different economic conditions caused by the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the aim of the work was to examine and identify the strategies implemented among family enterprises from the SME sector in Poland in the period immediately preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (2018–2019) and during this pandemic (2020–2021). It was achieved through analyzing the literature of the subject, development of our own research method, analyzing the results of primary research, presenting conclusions and making recommendations for science and economic practices. The authors formulated research hypotheses verified within the framework of the conducted research. The research is of a pioneering nature and was designed in such a way as to present the similarities and differences between the classes of enterprises under study (micro, small and medium-sized), as well as the research periods in terms of the development strategies applied by them. In this respect, appropriate research methods were selected. The study combined qualitative methods (critical analysis of existing explanations of the concept and essence of family enterprises; review of the literature on enterprise development in the light of Industry 4.0) with quantitative methods (analysis of the taxonomy of structures based on the similarity index of the studied structures; comparative analysis by cross-tabulation). To perform the research thus planned, the authors’ study on the systematization of development strategies in family enterprises was adopted. Implementing strategies among family enterprises in the SME sector seems to be crucial in their development. As the results show, this is of particular importance in crisis periods. The pandemic crisis was particular, and the functioning of enterprises during it was problematic. Some of them had to suspend their activities, some ceased their operations altogether, and those that survived were successful. The path leading to this success was the specific development strategies that were implemented by the family businesses in the SME sector surveyed. It is therefore worthwhile, both from an academic point of view and from a business practice point of view, to learn about these strategies. The authors have identified and described them and presented the resulting conclusions for the future.