La presente investigación se concentra en la etapa de vinculación de descendientes o potenciales sucesores a la empresa familiar. Esta etapa se constituye en la fase intermedia entre lo vivido por el potencial sucesor antes de ingresar y su vida como profesional ya vinculado de tiempo completo. El concepto de vinculación se ha tomado como algo unidimensional, cuando en realidad hay en su interior varios factores que lo componen. Con esta idea en mente se estudiaron cuatro casos de empresas familiares colombianas. Los resultados muestran que la etapa de vinculación está estructurada en tres factores fundamentales: el modo, el momento y los motivadores. Este estudio genera esta estructura y formula las proposiciones que relacionan esos factores con la decisión de entrada real a la empresa. Se sugiere a los propietarios de empresas y a sus hijos examinar estas dimensiones de la vinculación en su proceso de preparación de las siguientes generaciones.
This research focuses on the stage of offspring entry to the family business. This stage connects the entire professional and personal experiences that the potential successor has had previously to his entrance to the family business and all the responsibilities he will have in the early period of his (her) integration in the family business. Frequently this stage is analyzed as one-dimensional stage, but it is clear through this research that it is more a process with many factors affecting it. To study these factors, the analysis of four detailed Colombian family business cases was done. The results give evidence about the mode, the timing and the motivations, as fundamental factors in the decision of entry to the family business, moreover identifies the main proposals related to the offspring decision to become an employee of the family business. It suggests to the owners of family business and the offspring to examine this entry dimensions inside of the preparation process of the following generations.