The influence of family businesses characteristics in the project management office (pmo): a conceptual model proposal

Family businesses have great economic and social relevance in all countries, contributing significantly to the financial development of their population and Gross National Product. In Brazil, 90% of the almost 20 million active companies are considered family -owned. Pursuing greater professionalization, family companies have invested in the Project Management Office (PMO) implementation. Considering the lack of studies that consider the contextual aspects of PMOs in family business, this theoretical essay aims to propose a conceptual model that highlights the influence of the family business characteristics on the PMO. The methodological procedures included a thematic literature review, which is a specific type of non-systematic literature review that compiles multiple findings of qualitative studies concerning a specific topic. The theoretical contribution of this paper is a framework that considers the organizational culture, the decision -making centralization level, the degree of professionalization and the organizational structure as elements that may favor or hinder the PMO's action scope, methodological approach (traditional, agile or hybrid) and positioning in a family business. As a contribution to project managers, the framework highlights the main attention points to be observed by the PMO in family businesses, outlining that such familiar influence is not polarized but multifaceted, sometimes facilitating, sometimes hindering PMO's operation.