Working with families in business: A content validity study of the Aspen Family Business Inventory

[Extract] Sandra L. Moncrief-Stuart, Joe Paul and Justin Craig This chapter reports on a research that uses Lawshe’s (1975) individual item method and Gregory’s (1996) overall assessment method, on order to measure the content validity of the Aspen Family Business Inventory (AFBI), an assessment instrument designed specifically for use by consultants working with families in business. Nineteen experts in the field of family business consulting rated the AFBI’s scales and items for relevance, fit, clarity and overall content. In addition to establishing the content validity of the AFBI, this research is designed to familiarize family business consultants and researchers with, and encourage them to use, techniques similar to those introduced in this chapter as a first step in establishing the validity of the instruments that they use in working with families in business. Introduction Businesses are usually categorized by the type of service they offer. These categories include retailers, manufacturers, and service providers. Family businesses are a subset of business found in each of these categories that are made up of organizations formed around a family unit. Despite operating within a wide realm of industries and functions, family businesses possess a number of similarities with each other. Over the past 15 years there has been an increased understanding of the unique dynamics found in family businesses. Understanding family business dynamics involves integrating a variety of disciplines, including family systems theory.