Succession processes in family firms: A new temporal perspective
Journal
International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA) Annual Meeting
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2024
Author(s)
Abstract
Succession is the most prominent topic in family business research and the succession path that a family chooses will likely impact the future performance of the business. Yet surprisingly little is known about how management, board, and ownership is transitioned from one generation to the next. Using an inductive, theory-building approach based on sequence analysis and evidence from succession paths in 116 public family firms in the US, we address this gap. We introduce the concept of succession path, which describes how management, board, and ownership transitions are structured over time. Our study reveals six distinct succession paths, which vary in their pace and rhythm, but show high similarity in the sequence of the transition. Further, we study the firm performance consequences of succession paths. Specifically, we find that family firms with fast-paced succession paths and those with slow-paced, but rhythmic succession paths outperform those with slow-paced irregular rhythms. Further, early-ownership transitions benefit firm performance. Establishing succession paths as a meaningful new concept in family business research, this study not only advances our understanding of the succession phenomenon but also extends our theoretical insights into temporal processes in family firm successions.