Growth pattern of an employee-owned business: a narrative inquiry concerning the new venture creation experience of Wowprime in Taiwan

The current private- and shareholder-ownership pattern has found its limits. The aim of this research is to explore a growth pattern of employee-owned business adopting the narrative inquiry approach. The findings show that there are four growth stages: the 'family-owned', the 'family- and manager-owned', the 'family-, manager-, and staff-owned' and the 'family-, manager-, staff- and franchisee-owned' stages. This study explains why the pattern is becoming an important part of the business environment around the world and why mutual ownership can better grasp opportunities and turn environmental threats into new opportunities. This study contributes to advancing the understanding of the ownership pattern from private (family), to shareholder (manager) to employee.